Florida politicians love to talk about “family values.” But when it comes to helping parents — especially working moms — actually run for office, they’ve been leaving them high and dry.
That could finally change.
State Senator LaVon Bracy Davis (D–Ocoee) and State Rep. Kelly Skidmore (D–Boca Raton) have filed legislation — HB 361 and SB 414 — that would allow state and local candidates to use campaign funds to pay for childcare expenses directly related to campaign activities.
That means if you’re running for office and need to pay for a babysitter while you’re out knocking on doors, going to a debate, or attending a fundraiser — you can cover it with your campaign account.
You know, the same account folks use for yard signs and Facebook ads. The same accounts people like former disgraced Sen. Frank Artiles and former disgraced Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla use for food and booze and parties. Seems like common sense, right?
The Federal Elections Commission thought so. Back in 2018, it voted unanimously — bipartisan, mind you — to allow federal candidates to use campaign money for childcare. Since then, 38 states and D.C. have followed suit. Florida, as usual, is behind the curve. This will be the third year Skidmore tries to pass the legislation. In 2024, the Senate version of the bill, co-sponsored by Hollywood independent Sen. Jason Pizzo, advanced through two votes before stalling out in its third committee stop. But the House version died unhear. Last year, both the Senate and House proposals were unheard.
But in 2023, the legislature passed new rules that allowed for candidates to file campaign finance reports every three months, rather than monthly. Because that’s more important.
Read related: New Florida law gives us less campaign finance reporting, less transparency
This is not just about convenience. It’s about representation.
According to the Vote Mama Foundation, fewer than 7% of members of Congress are mothers of minor children, and just 7.9% of state legislators nationwide are mothers with kids under 18. The number of fathers of young kids isn’t even tracked, but let’s be real — they’re not showing up in droves either.
That’s because it’s nearly impossible for a working parent — especially a single parent or someone without deep pockets — to juggle the demands of campaigning and child-rearing without serious help. Not everybody has an abuelita standing by.
“Running for office should be about your ideas and your commitment to serve, not about whether you can afford childcare,” Skidmore said in a statement.
And Bracy Davis nailed it when she said this bill “opens doors for working parents, especially those from lower-income families, who too often must choose between providing for their children and participating in our democracy.”
Amen, sister.
So where are our South Florida legislators on this?
Because Ladra would love to see Miami-Dade’s delegation — Democrats and Republicans — get behind this one. If we’re serious about electing people who actually understand what working families go through, then we have to stop building systems that only work for retirees, the independently wealthy, and trust-fund candidates. If our local state senators and reps can use their campaign funds to pay for their cellphones and executive lunches, getting childcare for candidates is an easy yes.
Read related: In Miami-Dade, first day of school jitters come with ICE deportation fears
We’ve all seen it — campaigns dominated by people who can afford to run because they don’t have to worry about carpool, dinner, or daycare. Meanwhile, the people who should be in office — teachers, nurses, moms, dads, caretakers — are priced out before they even print their first yard sign.
That’s not democracy. That’s gatekeeping.
So, to our friends in the Miami-Dade delegation — Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, mother of two boys, I’m talking to you — and the rest of you who say you support families and opportunity, here’s your chance to prove it. Support HB 361 and SB 414. Vote yes to make politics a little more family-friendly.
Because it shouldn’t take a miracle — or a millionaire — to run for office in Florida.

You can help bring your community more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and political campaigns with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

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Either decision will likely be appealed
Will former Miami city commissioner Frank Carollo remain on the runoff ballot Dec. 9 or won’t he? We probably won’t know before absentee or mail-in ballots go out next week.
On Monday, Circuit Court Judge Peter Lopez heard arguments in yet another Miami election case. This one seeks to remove Frank Carollo, an accountant who came in first in last week’s District 3 race, from the Dec. 9 runoff, where he faces restaurant manager Rolando Escalona, who came in second with 17%. The lawsuit says keeping Carollo in play runs afoul of a charter amendment on lifetime term limits that voters overwhelmingly approved — by a whopping 79%— on the same Nov. 4 ballot as the City Commission races.
The new rule says anyone who’s served two terms as mayor or commissioner is done for life. No more revolving door, no more comeback tours.
Read related: Miami Voters get it right on the fine print referendums: Yes, No, Yes, Yes
It’s quite possible, and a little ironic, that some voters could have voted for the lifetime term limits and Frank Carollo, who already served two full terms representing District 3 from 2009 to 2017, before being replaced by — wait for it — his older brother, Commissioner Joe Carollo, who’s now termed out and lost a bid for mayor. So, little brother wants his old seat back.
That could mean 24 years of having a Carollo rule over D3 — exactly what the referendum aimed to stop.
Three residents, including third place finisher Oscar Alejandro, say that’s not happening and have sued to stop it. “On Nov. 3, Frank Carollo was a lawfully qualified candidate,” said their lawyer, Juan-Carlos “J.C.” Planas. “On Nov. 5, he was not.”
Planas says it’s simple: voters clearly said they want no more career commissioners, and Carollo’s two-term run means he’s automatically disqualified. The fix? Just swap Frank’s name out for Alejandro’s on the ballot and move on.
Carollo’s attorney, Robert Fernandez, called that idea crazy talk — and maybe unconstitutional. He argued that the referendum didn’t explicitly say it would apply to candidates on the same ballot. Removing Carollo now, Fernandez said, would “disenfranchise” the 2,570 voters who chose him last week and could violate both state and federal law.
But, wait. Wouldn’t leaving Frank Carollo on the ballot disenfranchise the 27,931 voters who passed lifetime term limits?
Read related: Miami voters sue to keep Frank Carollo off the runoff ballot after term-limit win
Judge Lopez didn’t sound thrilled about having to decide this political hot potato and he knows his decision will be challenged either way. “I’m not the last word on this,” he said. “Whatever I do, the Third DCA is going to have to chime in.” That’s why he promised a quick ruling Wednesday morning. Because everyone knows the losing side will appeal faster than you can say “vote-by-mail.”
Speaking of mail ballots — that’s another problem. Oren Rosenthal, attorney for the county elections office, warned that changing the ballot now would throw a wrench in the printing and mailing process. Ballots are already being prepped, envelopes stuffed, and the mail-out is set for Nov. 17. That’s Monday.
“It’s not as easy as just printing a new one,” Rosenthal told the judge. “They have to be programmed, tested, and quality-assured.”
Which means this isn’t just about District 3. The same ballots also include the Miami mayoral runoff between Eileen Higgins and Emilio González. Any delay could ripple into that race, too — and neither of those campaigns want to give voters another reason to roll their eyes at Miami’s perpetual chaos.
For those keeping score at home, Frank Carollo got 38% of the vote, Escalona came in second with 17%, and Alejandro was third with almost 12%. Interestingly enough, another candidate, Denise Galvez Turros, sued to try to get Escalona off the ballot, claiming he did not meet residency requirements. Planas represented Escalona in that case, and won.
Read related: ‘Winners & Losers’ from the Miami, Miami Beach and Hialeah elections
If Judge Lopez sides with the plaintiffs, it could make history — enforcing the city’s new lifetime ban before the ink on the ballots is even dry. If he sides with Carollo, it means the voters’ 79% “yes” might not take effect until the next election.
Either way, this is peak Miami politic: one brother out, another trying to sneak back in, the voters saying “enough already,” and the lawyers turning it all into a three-ring circus — all before the ballots even hit the mail.
Why it so hard to clear City Hall of all Carollos?

You can help bring your community more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and political campaigns with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

The post Judge to decide this week if Frank Carollo stays on Miami D3 ballot appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Even before a Mami-Dade Sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed last week, the Kendall Federation of Homeowners Associations had planned its annual celebration of first responders with pizza and speeches and awards. But the KFHA Police and Firefighter Awards night Wednesday will have special meaning since the death of Devin Jaramillo, 27.
“We talk about their dangerous work,” said KFHA President Michael Rosenberg. “But every day is ordinary, until it’s not ordinary. This was an ordinary day for him, an ordinary call and it turned out to be horrendous. Any call can end up like that.”
That’s true. But the most dangerous calls, according to policing organizations nationwide, are domestic violence calls and traffic stops.
Jaramillo had responded to a “minor” crash near the corner of Southwest 122nd Avenue and SW 128th Street just before 4 p.m. Friday. He got into a physical scuffle with the driver, who grabbed the officer’s gun and shot him up to seven times. The driver then ran to his car and took his own life.
There will likely be a moment of remembrance for him.
There will also be plaques and certificates from Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Commission Chair Anthony Rodriguez and Commissioner Raquel Regalado for some of the first responders in Kendall who should be recognized. That includes a firefighter who jumped into a lake to pull out the passenger of a vehicle that had become submerged. And four or five police officers who joined to lift a heavy vehicle off an injured person.
In the past, this evening has brought together emotional reunions between first responders and those they’ve saved. The KFHA also plans to honor hero dogs, K9 units assigned to Kendall officers.
“Our first responders are always there for us. Let’s show them that we are there for them,” Rosenberg said.
So, the evening starts at 6 p.m. with Italian food by Mike’s Italian at the that small little clubhouse room at 8625 SW 124th Ave., and the event moves at 7 p.m. to the Regal Cinema movie theater next door for the presentation of the awards And if anyone wants to stay, the Regal will be showing the new movies, Sarah’s Oil — based on the true story of an African American girl who became a millionaire in Oklahoma after she discovered oil on her land.
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Where will the rest of the pack land?
The first endorsement from one of the losing Miami mayoral hopefuls is vintage Miami.
Former Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier L. Suarez, the original Mayor Suarez, the father of our camera-obsessed current mayor Francis Suarez, has thrown his weight (and his word count) behind Emilio González in the upcoming Dec. 9 runoff for Miami mayor.
Because, of course he did. If he couldn’t make a comeback, he could at least help crown a new king.
Read related: Eileen Higgins heads into partisan Miami mayoral runoff with momentum
The elder Suarez — who got about 5% of the vote in the crowded Nov. 4 race — said Monday that González, a former city manager and retired Air Force colonel, has all the good-government virtues Miami hasn’t seen in decades: integrity, professionalism, empathy, compassion, bilingual brilliance, and, wait for it… bonhomie.
Yes, bonhomie. That’s a new one for Miami politics. It literally means exactly what it sounds like it means: Cheerful, friendliness, geniality. In other words, un buen homie.
In a lengthy letter that Emilio’s team proudly distributed as if it were a papal decree, Suarez Sr. praised González’s service as Miami city manager, as the county’s aviation department director, and as head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. He called him “a courageous reformer” and “a proven public servant.”
He even commended Emilio for filing the lawsuit that got the election back on track after the city commission voted to postpone it for a year without getting a public vote.
But let’s not forget, dear readers, that González’s tenure as city manager didn’t exactly end in a happy dance. He resigned amid accusations that he fast-tracked permits for his own home improvements. He said it was to care for his ailing wife, but the timing was sus. Of course, the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust cleared him of any wrongdoing and all of that was just Commissioner Joe Carollo trying to deflect from his own problems.
Still, this endorsement feels less like a surprise and more like a reunion. After all, the Suárezes and González go way back — back to the cozy corridors of City Hall where titles and favors pass like coladas at 3:05 p.m. And how much is Suarez going to pull for Gonzalez with less than 5%. Ladra doubts all 1,841 of the people who voted for X will flip for Emilio.
Read related: Eileen and Emilio headed to Miami mayoral runoff as voters end the circus
What’s next? The Alex Diaz de la Portilla endorsement? After all, ADLP did better than Suarez, with 1,929 votes. And Carollo, well he could deliver some of his 4,277 votes to someone — and it would most likely be Gonzalez, except Joe spent the last few months attacking “Colonel Clink” in ads, mailers and on radio.
Across town, Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins — who won a decisive 36% in the first round, carrying every city district — is still leading the race and calling herself the true outsider in a runoff against what she calls “the City Hall establishment.” She might not say so, but she wants former Commissioner Ken Russell to endorse her. He came in third on Nov. 4 with 6,550 votes. Now, some of those can make a difference in what could be a close race.
Everybody is sort of expecting him to endorse Higgins, but they might have forgotten that she basically got him canned as the lobbyist for the Florida Sierra Club. Russell doesn’t really have to officially endorse Higgins, she will get most of his voters automatically.
Higgins, for her part, already has the unions, the LGBTQ+ groups, and a bunch of Dem mayors — the county’s Daniella Levine Cava, Javier Fernández of South Miami and former Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber — lining up behind her. She’s also got support from Sen. Shevrin Jones and State Rep. Ashley Gantt.
Read related: In Miami mayoral bid, Emilio Gonzalez goes for the law and order vote
González, on the other hand, adds the Suárez seal of approval to nods during Round 1 from Ron DeSantis, Rick Scott, Ted Cruz, and the Miami Young Republicans.
So much for being a nonpartisan race.
In a contest that’s quickly shaping up as a clash between a community coalition of newcomers and the political old guard, the endorsement from Xavier Suarez feels like déjà vu — another episode of Miami’s eternal insider telenovela.
Still, it’s the first post-election endorsement, and that counts for something, even if it does smell a little desperate. It gives González a talking point, a headline, and maybe a few older Cuban votes that still remember when the elder Suarez ruled the roost.
But it also reminds voters what’s really on the line Dec. 9: whether Miami wants to keep recycling the same names and networks — or finally take a chance on something different.

You can help bring your community more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and political campaigns with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

The post After coming in 6th, Papi Suarez backs Emilio Gonzalez for Miami mayor appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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If you thought Miami’s political telenovela might take a break after Election Day, think again. The show goes on — and this next act could be the one that finally rewrites the script at City Hall.
Commissioner Eileen Higgins came out of Tuesday’s first round not just ahead — but way ahead — in the race for mayor. She didn’t just win with 36% of the vote, compared to the second place showing of 19% for former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez. Higgins swept all five commission districts, including Commissioner Joe Carollo’s old stomping grounds in District 3, where she beat him 32% to 26%, according to a Miami Herald tally. That’s right — she beat El Loco on his own block.
And now she’s heading into a Dec. 9 runoff against Gonzalez, the ultimate City Hall insider, who’s trying very hard to rebrand himself as a reformer and gets major brownie points for filing the lawsuit that forced the election to happen after the city commission had effectively cancelled it by postponing it for a year. The courts agreed with Gonzalez, saying the city needed to get a public vote if they wanted to change the election year.
If only Gonzalez had stuck to that message: The hero who saved the election and, thus, the city from another year of Carollo and Mayor Francis Suarez. The anti-corruption warrior who would put residents first. Ladra had told him early, this was his race to lose.
But nooooo. He had to lean hard into his Republican base, touting endorsements from Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Rick Scott and Sen. Ted Cruz all the way from Texas. You don’t pull out Ted Cruz unless you’re trying to send a message. Gonzalez also had to call the Democrats in the race “commies” in a Politico interview a week before the race and say that they would use the mayor’s office to fight the president’s policies.
“A liberal, Democratic, progressive mayor in Miami will serve only to have a platform with which to bash the Trump administration,” he told Politico. “They can’t help themselves. They all wear the same uniform. They all have the same script.”
It sort of feels like he had to out-Trump Carollo, who was sending mailers with photos of the POTUS and himself, making it look like they’re pals. Hey, could Joe be on the Epstein list?
Read related: Eileen and Emilio headed to Miami mayoral runoff as voters end the circus
To be fair, Higgins rode the blue flag like it was the magic carpet that would take her to City Hall. The Miami-Dade Democrats paid for mailers and messages that painted Gonzalez as the MAGA mayor. And her endorsements read like a coalition of the fed-up progressives: almost all the labor unions, Unite Here, SAVE, Equality Florida, The Miami Times, The Miami Herald, Legacy Magazine, plus local mayors like South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez, former Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber (does anyone remember him?) and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, arguably the most powerful and popular Democrat in the state.
Third place finisher Ken Russell, who came within two points of getting into the runoff instead of Gonzalez, wrote an op-ed in The Miami Herald last week that urged voters and the candidates — who are supposed to be the adults in the room among the 13 who ran to succeed the termed out Francis Suarez — to keep partisan politics out of the runoff. Good luck with that.
Sure, Gonzalez will try to roll back that hard right message now because he has to appeal to Democrats and independents if he wants to win in Round 2. But he has to walk a fine line because if his base thinks he’s gone too soft, they won’t come out to vote.
Meanwhile, Higgins — the self-styled “outsider” in the race, who is very much a part of the “insiders’ club” — has managed to build a support base that cuts across neighborhoods and languages, winning everywhere from Little Havana to Coconut Grove. She is now leading González 50 to 24 in the latest poll.
Higgins’ challenge now is turnout. The first round drew just 21% of registered voters, and December runoffs are notorious for even lower participation. If she can keep her coalition energized — the renters, the working families, the young voters who want a City Hall that speaks their language and listens — she could make history as the first woman elected mayor of Miami. And she has the endorsements that could make it happen — unions and SAVE means boots on the ground to spread your message.
Read related: In Miami mayoral bid, Emilio Gonzalez goes for the law and order vote
González, for his part, will try to rally the old guard — homeowners, conservatives, and the Republican establishment — who might see Higgins’ rise as a threat to the status quo. They’ve already compared her to New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, the new face of the Democrat boogeyman. (Sorry, AOC, you’re yesterday’s news). Will that work?
Team Emilio is also likely betting on low turnout and high loyalty.
Because right now, all signs point to momentum on Higgins’ side. Even the Herald noted that Democratic turnout jumped 12 points this election compared to a meager 4-point bump for the GOP. If that keeps up, she’s going to be a happy camper.
And so will other Democrats statewide, who are watching this officially “nonpartisan” race very closely. The Florida Democratic Party immediatly congratulated Higgins on advancing to the runoff.
“It’s been 28 years since Miami last elected a Democrat as its Mayor and tonight’s result shows that the pendulum is swinging and the Democrats are the source,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried on the night of the election. “Miami is on the path to getting the leadership it deserves, and tomorrow the fight continues to ensure Eileen has all the people power she needs to declare victory in 35 days.”
That’s right, it’s now less than a month before the election that truly decides who will lead the city of Miami for the next four years.
The bottom line is voters could have had it worse. Both candidates promise to end the chaos, corruption and rampant dysfunction in the city. Both are competent people who do not seem driven by emotion. Neither seems like they would weaponize the government against their “enThere’s no real terrible choice here. Unless you believe that Higgins is a communist or that Gonzalez will invite the National Guard to invade Miami.
Because voters aren’t just picking between two very different personalities — they’re deciding what kind of city they want Miami to be.

You can help bring your community more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and political campaigns with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

The post Eileen Higgins heads into partisan Miami mayoral runoff with momentum appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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