Miami is a fast paced community with a rapid fire news cycle. Our blog keeps you current on the most important issues affecting the tax payers of Miami-Dade county. Read, share, comment, and as always let us know what topics you want us to tackle.
Goodbye, Francis Suarez: Miami’s most frequent flyer mayor takes off for good
Francis Suarez is finally gone.
After 16 years in city government — eight as a commissioner and eight as mayor — Miami’s self-appointed global brand ambassador, crypto whisperer and aspiring Silicon Valley mascot packed his bags one last time and left City Hall. On Thursday, he handed over the keys (hopefully not honorary ones) to former Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor and the first Democrat to hold the job in nearly three decades.
Suarez leaves behind two very different legacies — depending on who’s telling the story.
In his farewell op-ed in The Miami Herald, Suarez — the Miami-born son of the city’s first Cuban-born mayor — paints himself as the architect of “Miami for everyone,” a visionary who lowered taxes, raised wages, cut unemployment, tamed homelessness, modernized city government, expanded opportunity, fixed housing, boosted education, welcomed the world and somehow still made it home for dinner.
It’s a beautiful story. Polished. Aspirational. Almost influencer-ready.
It just leaves out a few things.
Like the part where being mayor increasingly seemed like a side hustle to Suarez’s real passion: being anywhere else.
Few Miami mayors have logged as many frequent flyer miles as Suarez. Qatar. Japan. South Korea. Saudi Arabia. The Texas border. Washington. A celebrity wedding in Egypt. New York. California. Campaign stops for a presidential run so short and uneventful, most voters never knew it happened.
Read related: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is all over the place — except leading the city
And wherever Suarez went, city taxpayers followed — footing the bill for “dignitary protection,” luxury hotels and police travel while residents wondered why their mayor kept governing from 35,000 feet.
New Times lovingly dubbed him “The Wanderer.” Miami residents just wondered who was actually minding the city.
Suarez stood by and did nothing as the commissioner carved up their fiefdoms during the 2022 redistricting madness. He did nada as the commission humiliated and fired the police chief that he brought from Texas. He did absolutely nothing while former Commissioner Joe Carollo weaponized the city government against Little Havana property owners for political retaliation, costing the city millions in legal fees and settlements. And he did nothing as former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla raided the Omni CRA and got city salaries for his personal campaign operatives who were no-show employees.
And, lest we forget, this is the guy who is single-handedly responsible for handing over the last public golf course in Miami, Melreese, to developers to build a mega retail/office complex disguised as a soccer stadium.
He became a national darling when he became Miami’s patient zero during the COVID pandemic, providing daily updates on national news about his symptoms and how he felt from his homebound quarantine. You could tell he liked being he national COVID commentator.
But Suarez will forever be remembered as the man who tried to turn Miami into the Crypto Capital of the World — and briefly convinced tech bros that a meme coin could replace city taxes.
MiamiCoin, we were told, would generate tens of millions, fund public services, fight homelessness, and maybe cure potholes while it was at it. Businesses were encouraged to accept it. Residents were promised Bitcoin dividends. He posed with a shiny robot bull — that sort of symbolizes his entire term in office — to show Miami was tech central.
By 2023, the only exchange supporting MiamiCoin pulled the plug. The coin became worthless. And Miami was left with a lesson it didn’t ask for: cities should not be run like speculative startups.
Read related: Miami Bull is exactly what absentee Mayor Francis Suarez has been selling
Then there was the speculative presidential campaign. Remember that? No? That’s okay — hardly anyone does.
Suarez entered the 2024 GOP primary, polled at 0.2%, failed to qualify for the debate he insisted he’d be on, and dropped out after two weeks. It was one of the shortest non-fringe presidential campaigns in modern American history. Highlights included offering $20 Visa gift cards to donors and publicly asking, on conservative radio, “What’s a Uyghur?” — later referring to them as “Weebles.”
Global leadership, indeed.
Suarez also managed to court controversy closer to home.
There was the Formula 1 ethics complaint after he attended pricy VIP events — with his campaign fundraiser Brian Goldmeier — courtesy of billionaire Ken Griffin while Citadel was exploring a move to Miami. The complaint was dismissed — he reimbursed the tickets — but the optics lingered.
There were the Saudi appearances, including a front-row seat near Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at an esports event in Riyadh — spotted not by city disclosure, but by livestream — just a day after Suarez posted an Instagram story suggesting he was enjoying “Miami afternoons.”
But that’s not the worst part, him being a liar. He’s also an apologist to murderers and thugs.
Suarez organized and promoted the 2023 Future Investment Initiative Priority Summit, a Miami Beach event sponsored by the government of Saudi Arabia, which was under investigation by the US. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs for using American assets to boost efforts to clean up the regime’s image. This is the same government that stands accused of arbitrary arrests, torture and political assassinations, like the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was ambushed and strangled by a 15-member squad of Saudi operatives. His body was dismembered and disposed of in some way that was never publicly revealed. People suspect it was in suitcases.
And still, he hoped to get Trump’s appointment to be ambassador there. He even gave him a key to the city last month. Before gave the real ones to Higgins.
Read related: What corruption probe? Mayor Francis Suarez enjoys Egypt wedding, Miami F1
Perhaps the most striking contrast comes not from policy, but from personal finance.
Suarez entered office with a modest net worth of about $400,000. He leaves with more than $5 million. This is fueled, in part, by his side gigs, including the $10,000 a month he was getting as a “consultant” for developer Rishi Kapoor while Kapoor secured permits for his projects. This “commitment as a public official” became part of the FBI investigation into Kapoor’s business.
That doesn’t make Baby X corrupt. But it does raise an eyebrow — especially for a mayor who insisted his focus was always local, always neighborhood-based, always for everyone.
He’s not only gotten richer, Suarez has gotten buffer, posting work-out videos often. In fact, he loves the TV so much he might do a fitness show for cable next.
There are a lot of possibilities — and speculations. Will he run for higher office? Congress? Governor? Will he go to work for some huge development firm? Or Griffith? Whatever he does next is worth watching. But at least he won’t do it on the taxpayer dime.
Read related: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez gave Trump a key to city; gave us the finger
Now he can hang out with Javier Milei, who represses freedom of press and clamps down on protests and dissent in Argentina, or Jeff Bezos, who also spoke at his America Business Forum last month, where the postalita mayor gave Donald Trump a key to the city. Or Richard Branson on his island like he did on Election Day.
Francis Suarez wanted to make Miami global. And in many ways, he did — as a brand, a buzzword, a backdrop for conferences, crypto schemes, and international photo ops.
But while Miami went global, many residents stayed stuck: priced out of housing, stuck in traffic, watching rents soar and wages chase inflation.
Suarez leaves behind a city more famous than ever — and more divided about who that fame actually served.
Now Miami turns the page.
No more MiamiCoin promises. No more presidential auditions. No more mayors spotted abroad by accident.
Just the hard work of governing a city — on the ground, at home, and in full view of the people who live here.
Goodbye, Francis. And good riddance.
Safe travels.
If you want more independent, watchdog reporting of county government and local elections, help Ladra with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Thank you for your support.
The post Goodbye, Francis Suarez: Miami’s most frequent flyer mayor takes off for good appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Miami-Dade’s nonprofit drama — a big show with a black hole ticket price
A ‘new’ review initiative smells like the old ‘report card’
Gather ‘round, pups, because Miami-Dade County is putting on a big show — and this one stars our ever-growing, ever-hungry nonprofit industrial complex, also known as Community Based Organizations (CBOs). You’ve seen them at County Hall: matching T-shirts, matching talking points, matching publicists… all singing from the same hymn sheet about “the children” or “the services” or “the vulnerable populations,” right on cue.
But this year, for the first time in ages, regular taxpayers — the ones actually footing the bill — finally started to notice something: these nonprofits are loaded. And some may be questionable.
Read related: Shady charity with political ties gets $450K from Miami-Dade Commission
The scandal that The Miami Herald’s Doug Hanks broke on the millions of taxpayer dollars that went to fund the A3 Foundation — a seemingly sham charity run by a politically-connected Miami insider — for the horse and pony show at Tropical Park every year, put a focus on just how easy it is for these non-profits to get serious money for nothing.
And they have pull. Serious pull. Enough that even Mayor Daniella Levine Cava — who loves nonprofits the way a pastor loves a microphone — proudly reminds everyone she founded or served on the boards of Kristi House, Voices For Children, and a few others that always seem to find their way to the county trough. She said she was heartbroken to have to cut their budgets.
“Many of the organizations that have presented today are organizations that I either founded or served on the board or collaborated with for decades,” she said at the Sept. 4 budget meeting. “It is personally painful to me to be in a situation where I had to choose between running buses, filling potholes or providing for our nonprofit partners.”
But here’s what nobody inside County Hall likes to say out loud: Nonprofits are not an essential function of government.
They don’t run elections. They don’t fix roads or buy buses. They don’t guard inmates or treat sewage or keep our water drinkable. They are optional partners who, sometimes, on paper, serve as a safety net for insufficient resources that the county allocates to the most needy. Key word: Optional. Yet, in 2025 they collected more than $70 million in taxpayer money as if it were some sort of constitutional mandate. Many of them act like that cash is automatic. Owed. Guaranteed. God-given.
And nobody has embraced this cozy arrangement more than Commissioner Kionne McGhee, Miami-Dade’s self-appointed Patron Saint of Nonprofits, who reports in his financial disclosure that he is paid $99,416.18 every year by Children of Inmates, a CBO that gets funding from the county and the state. Down to the penny. That’s not “consulting.” That’s a salary — a tidy little side hustle from an organization that (surprise!) shows up during county budget season to lobby for funding.
Recently, McGhee proposed a new vendor-fee trust fund — a permanent money machine for nonprofits, skimmed off the top of county vendor contracts, which would probably end up passed along to the county anyway. It was punted after county budget staff estimated it would generate only $4 to $5 million. Pocket change compared to the $70 million nonprofits already gobbled up in this year’s budet.
Read related: Miami-Dade committee punts hard on Kionee McGhee’s non-profit slush fund
Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins called it what it was — not even a band-aid. A Post-It note, maybe.
Still, McGhee may not give up. He has suggested putting the whole thing on the ballot. Just like that. No math to support it. No justification. No logic. Just vibes.
Maybe he should wait until the county mayor’s office comes back in March with a report and analysis of how nonprofit organizations are funded, selected, and evaluated. This review measure, a hard look at the county’s CBO funding process — basically the Wild West with PowerPoints — was sponsored by Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis and approved unanimously earlier this month.
Milian Orbis wants a full accounting: who gets funded, how they get picked, what they actually do, and whether the “legacy” nonprofits — the ones grandfathered into money year after year without ever standing in line — are really delivering anything close to results.
“For too long this process has confused the public and frustrated the very groups trying to serve our families,” she said.Translation: For too long this process has been a hot mess and nobody wants to say it out loud.
“Residents deserve a process that is fair, transparent, and focused on real results,” she added. And somewhere in the back, Ladra swears she could hear a few legacy CBO directors shifting uncomfortably in their seats.
Because legacy does not equal legitimacy.
The report, due 120 days from when it was approved, will examine this year’s competitive grant process, review the sacred cows of the CBO world, and compare them to other nonprofits and even county-run programs. In other words: show us the receipts or get out of the line.
Milian Orbis added: “We owe it to our residents to make sure these dollars are reaching people in need and supporting programs that work.” Which is adorable, because it assumes the system has ever been designed around “what works” instead of who knows who.
Once the mayor’s office delivers the report, it will come back to the board for public review and action. And that, pups, is where things get interesting — because once the disinfecting sunlight hits these numbers, somebody’s gravy boat is going to run aground.
Read related: Miami-Dade budget restores 100% funds to non-profits = self preservation
Or is it? Because Milian Orbis, very proud of herself, says this will be the first public countywide analysis of the performance, reach, and results of non-profits. Shows how green she is. Because there have been issued “report cards” on CBOs for years. CBOs are managed by the Office of Management Budget and funded annually as part of the budget process. That everybody knows. But what everyone might not know is that the OMB already conducts performance reviews to evaluate (1) deliverables and program achievement and (2) administration and contract compliance. These reviews serve as the basis for report cards, which use a green, yellow and red stoplight scale as follows:
Green: Less than five instances of non compliance. You know, because three or four instances is no big deal.
Yellow: More than five instances of non-compliance. Stuff that can be fixed so the county gives you time.
Red: “any number of instances of non compliance that merit contract or payment suspension.”
In the report card for 2023-2024, 116 CBOs were evaluated and only two were in the red, according to a memo from the mayor to commissions in May. Their contracts were terminated and remaining unspent grant monies were returned to the general fund, she said. Thirteen other organizations received a yellow rating. “However, 10 of the 13 yellow rated organizations were previously rated red and were changed to yellow upon acceptance of a Corrective Action Plan,” the memo says.
The report cards for fiscal years 2018-19 is much worse, with more red lines than one would think there should be.
A beautiful beginning: Eileen Higgins sworn in as Miami mayor; now what?
Now comes the hard part
Miami loves a moment. And Thursday’s swearing-in of Eileen Higgins — Miami’s first female mayor — was a moment.
Standing-room-only at the Wolfson Campus auditorium. A packed house of supporters. The full political cast of characters. Beaming parents front and center. Giddiness spilling out of every photo and video pushed by legacy media like it was a quinceañera for City Hall itself.
And honestly? It was sweet. Disarmingly so.
Higgins practically built the ceremony around her parents, who stood beside her as she took the oath — administered by Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts Juan Fernandez-Barquin — and looked like they might burst from pride at any second. You don’t fake that kind of joy. It was earned. And it was lovely.
But this is Miami. And Ladra is allergic to fairy tales.
Front row sightings included outgoing Mayor Francis Suarez, seated next to Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava — a pairing Ladra hopes did not result in any lingering political cooties.
Also in attendance: Miami commissioners past and present, Higgins’ former county commission colleagues, and a long list of Miami’s political who’s who.
Read related: La Gringa Eileen Higgins makes history with Miami mayoral election victory
And yes, Miami Dade College President Madeleine Pumariega was there too — smiling, applauding, celebrating — fresh off standing quietly by while the MDC Board of Trustees handed over 2.6 acres of prime Biscayne Boulevard land originally meant for students to the Donald Trump Presidential Library people, a decision made pretty much in secrecy and being challenged in court.
Ladra sincerely hopes Higgins made it crystal clear she is not on board with that particular giveaway.
In her remarks, Higgins didn’t waste time signaling what kind of mayor she intends to be, basically announcing competence over chaos.
“You chose competence over corruption, direction over distraction, public service over political gridlock,” she told the crowd.
A line that landed hard — because everyone in that room knows exactly what she was contrasting herself against.
She promised unity. She promised service to everyone — including those who didn’t vote for her.
“Everyone deserves a city that works for them,” Higgins said.
Not because of politics. Not because of language. Not because of zip code. But because Miami is a shared home.
It was aspirational. It was inclusive. And it was very clearly a reset.
Higgins made history as the first woman to lead Miami and the first Democrat elected mayor in decades. That matters. Representation matters. Symbolism matters.
But symbolism doesn’t fix permitting backlogs. It doesn’t lower rents. It doesn’t restore public trust.
And Higgins seems to know that.
Read related: Rolando Escalona sworn in as Miami’s newest city commissioner = D3 reset
She’s already said she wants to “act like the government of one of the most famous cities in the world” — which, frankly, is a subtle jab at how unserious City Hall has become. But she is stepping into office with a very green city commission:
Rolando Escalona, fresh off his stunning upset of former Commissioner Frank Carollo, bringing new energy, a new name to District 3 in 16 years — and no margin for error.
Ralph Rosado, an urban planner with zero elected experience who won a special election after the death of of Commissioner Manolo Reyes, with a lot of help from former Commissioner Joe Carollo and former Mayor Francis Suarez. A lot of good it did them.
Miguel Angel Gabela , who is in the middle of his first term and still learning to navigate the political landscape.
Damian Pardo, also in the middle of his first term, a reform candidate who has all but abandoned that vision and already pissing people of so much that there has been talk of a recall.
Christine King is now the most tenured commissioner — which tells you everything you need to know about the reset voters demanded.
This is not a body steeped in institutional memory. It is a body hungry to prove itself. That can be powerful — or chaotic — depending on leadership.
The mood Thursday was joyful. The moment? Serious. But now? The stakes are painfully clear.
County Commissioner Raquel Regalado plants a kiss on Eileen Higgins’ cheek while her dad, former Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, pats her shoulder. Bienvenido!
Thursday felt like relief. Like a comfortable exhale. Like Miami saying, “Okay, let’s try this.”
But the applause will fade. The hugs and kisses will diminish. The photos will stop circulating. And the work will begin.
Higgins promised to calm the chaos. To focus on affordability. To fix the city’s broken permitting system. To restore professionalism to a City Hall better known lately for lawsuits, vendettas, and drama on the dais.
But what about Watson Island? Will she veto one of the biggest giveaways the city has ever approved? She only has three days to do it, after Commissoner approved the sale for $29 of 3.2 acres of waterfront property to developers, land that is worth at least 10 times more.
And then there is the Bayfront Park Management Trust, and the prior manager’s efforts to fold it into the city’s park system. Will she reverse that? What will she do with the alleged investigation into abuse of the Trust funds by former commissioner Joe Carollo?
Read related: Ka-ching! Miami DDA is doling out more checks to billionaire companies
How will Higgins deal with the criticism around the corporate welfare checks the Miami Downtown Development Authority gives to billionaire entities? Higgins sat as vice chair of the DDA while it gave $450,000 to FC Barcelona, $100,000 to the UFC and $175,000 to the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship — and said nada. Will she continue to ignore the allegations of budget abuse?
Thursday’s swearing-in was a celebratory beginning — no doubt. The question now is: Can Eileen Higgins turn good vibes into good governance?
Because Miami didn’t just elect a mayor. It elected an expectation.
Rolando Escalona sworn in as Miami’s newest city commissioner = D3 reset
If anyone thought Rolando Escalona would ease into the job, smile for the cameras, and wait politely for the dust to settle, they clearly haven’t been paying attention. Even before Miami’s newest city commissioner was sworn in Wednesday — officially, publicly, and with all the ceremonial trimmings — he had already gone to work.
And the first message out the gate was crystal clear: The Carollo era is over. Full stop.
Last week, Escalona — just days after beating former Commissoner Frank Carollo 53% to 47% — sent a memo to the mayor and the city manager, as commissioner elect, requesting a freeze on all District 3 activities launched under former Commissioner Joe Carollo (Frank’s big bro). Every disbursement. Every project. Every initiative. Paused.
Not canceled. Paused. As in pending review.
Read related: Carollo dynasty crumbles in Miami as newbie Rolando Escalona takes D3 seat
“As I prepare to be sworn-in and assume the responsibilities of District 3 Commissioner, I am writing to respectfully request that all actions, approvals, modifications, or disbursements related to District 3 legislative items, funding allocations, programs, and projects be temporarily paused until I take office,” Escalona wrote the day after Carollo resigned six days early.
“Given the former District 3 commissioner resigned effective yesterday, and the District 3 seat is now vacant, taking any action would be concerning for our residents,” Escalona wrote.
Roar.
“This request is made in the interest of ensuring a smooth and transparent transition, as well as safeguarding continuity and accountability for the residents of District 3. Delaying further action will allow my office to properly review pending matters, meet with the relevant departments, and ensure that all district initiatives align with community priorities and long-term goals,” Escalona said, adding that he may undo some of the last things Carollo did.
“If any concerns arise through our review process, I intend to ask my colleagues to support a motion to reconsider actions taken at yesterday’s commission meeting. Therefore, pausing any action would send a clear message to our community that we are embracing a new day for our city and transparency to guide our way.”
In Miami political terms, that’s not subtle. That’s a message to City Hall, staff, lobbyists, contractors, and anyone who ever whispered “Joe wants this done” and expected magic to happen: The days of governing by vendetta, pressure, and volume are over. Now comes the audit.
Read related: Goodbye, Joe: Miami’s Carollo slinks away early and at midnight, but why?
A City Hall insider told Ladra that this is really about three specific land giveaways for affordable housing that Carollo had brought to the board last week (more on that later).
The ceremony was attended by all four of the commissioners as well as former Commissioner Ken Russell, who came in third in the Nov. 4 mayoral election, and Mayor Elect Eileen Higgins, who will be sworn in Thursday afternoon.
Escalona, a Republican, took the oath of office (from Miai-Dade Clerk and Comptroller Juan Fernandez-Barquin) with Democrat Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and outgoing Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a onetime Republican POTUS wannabe, on hand to offer remarks — a symbolic, bipartisan moment in a city still shaking off years of political chaos and an election cycle that became increasingly about keeping Miami red or turning it blue.
Levine Cava praised the importance of steady leadership and public service. “Today is all about renewal. It’s about new beginnings, and it’s about turning the page. This is a new era of city government in Miami,” the original La Alcaldesa said.
Suarez, in one of his final cameos as mayor, did what Suarez does best: smiled, congratulated, and made sure he was in the room. “Governance should be about solutions, not shouting. Collaboration, not combat,” he said, and Ladra thinks there was some giggling in the audience.
Read related: Miami Bull is exactly what absentee Mayor Francis Suarez has been selling
Even Congressional candidate Richard Lamondin, who is running for the chance to go against Maria Elvira Salazar in District 27, was there to wish the new commissioner well. “Rolando Escalona is a good man whose story reflects the very best of Miami. From arriving here from Cuba to working as a busboy to now an elected City commissioner,” Lamondin posted on his social media.
Escalona stayed true to his roots in his comments. “I will fight every day for safe streets, for neighborhoods where families feel proud and secure and to keep families secure and workers will be protected,” he said, and it seemed as if he wiped a tear from his eye. “As a commissioner, I promise you this: I will never forget my promises to you and where I came from and who I work for.”
Escalona beat a residency challenge in court from another candidate, Denise Galvez Turros, who came in an embarrassing sixth place of eight. His home was drawn out of District 3 and he moved to an apartment so he could qualify. Months ago, he moved to a larger apartment to away the twins his wife gave birth to weeks ago.
Read related: Judge: Rolando Escalona belongs on Miami ballot for D3 commissioner
He promised more unity and less drama at City Hall and thanked his mother and his wife. “Your love and sacrifices made this moment possible. You are my rock and my support.”
But if you want to understand how a new commissioner might plan to govern, don’t listen to the speeches and the applause — look at the staffing. Escalona, a restaurant manager, real estate agent and political newbie, didn’t waste time in surrounding himself with some insiders.
Steven Ferreiro, the respected former chief of staff to the late Commissioner Manolo Reyes, will now serve as Escalona’s chief of staff, after a brief stint working for Hialeah’s interim mayor Jackie Garcia-Roves, who lost her election in November. Ferreiro is known inside City Hall as serious, steady, and deeply familiar with how to actually get things done without setting the building on fire. This is especially sweet because the new District 4 commissioner, Ralph Rosado, won’t like it.
Steven Miro, formerly an aide to Carollo — until he was fired after blowing the whistle on abuse of office — is also joining the District 3 team. He will be leaving the District 1 office, but he told Ladra that his heart has always been in D3.
Ariel Trueba, who worked in the city for two years (2023-24) as a consultant in the department of human services and economic initiatives, will be the director of constituent services. An FIU graduate (class of ’22), he also served two terms as chairman of the Miami-Dade County LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, possibly becoming the youngest person to chair a county board in Florida.
Read related: ‘Winners & Losers’ from the Miami, Miami Beach and Hialeah elections
Let’s be real: District 3 hasn’t had a “normal” commissioner in a long time. It’s been lawsuits, subpoenas, headlines, vendettas, and a City Hall civility crisis that could be summed up in two words: Crazy Joe.
Escalona ran against Carollo’s baby brother — and won — as the calm alternative. The quiet contrast. The guy whose campaign wasn’t fueled by fear or fury, but by discipline, timing and hard work. And now that he’s sworn in, the follow-through is unmistakable.
Freeze the projects. Rebuild the staff. Lower the temperature.
For a city still recovering from years of five-alarm political fires, that’s not boring — it’s revolutionary.
Because let’s be honest: Rolando Escalona didn’t just win an election. He inherited a mess.
And on Day One, he showed Miami exactly how he plans to handle it: No shouting. No theatrics. No revenge tours.
Just a hard stop, a deep breath, and a methodical reset.
For District 3 — and maybe for Miami City Hall — that might be the most radical move of all.
You can help bring your community more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and campaigns with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.
The post Rolando Escalona sworn in as Miami’s newest city commissioner = D3 reset appeared first on Political Cortadito.
No election date yet, but mailers started in eventual special election for HD 113
Just because there’s isn’t a date called yet for the special election in House District 113, the seat vacated by former State Rep. Vicki Lopez — who left when she was appointed to the county commission — doesn’t mean there isn’t any campaign mail.
Tony J. Diaz, a small business owner, dropped the first USPS missive this week and actually coined a name that Ladra will likely use forever: “Fishy” Frank Lago.
Fishy Frank is also running for the seat. He’s run for state house before — in Hialeah, where he also ran for a council seat once. That’s why it’s hard to believe him when he says on an Instagram video, from a Brickell balcony, that he’s lived in Miami all his life — unless he means Greater Miami.
Read related: Two more jump in: Bruno Barreiro, Gloria Romero Roses join HD 113 race
There is another Republican circling the drain on this one. Former Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro, who was also once a state rep, who resigned in 2018 to run for Congress (he lost). Just because Diaz hasn’t hit him yet, doesn’t mean he won’t. There’s just too much information available But Lago is seen as the establishment choice and has already been endorsed by Lopez.
“I know and trust Frank Lago to carry the torch forward. Frank will bring the dedication, character, and work ethic that this district demands and deserves. He has a true servant’s heart and I’m proud to give him my full support as he launches his campaign,” Lopez is quoted as saying in Florida Politics.
Like it was planned. Wink, wink.
“Florida is NOT FOR SALE,” starts the mailer, quite likely the first in the race that’s not a race yet.”Don’t let my opponent sell Florida. Wherever Fishy Frank goes, bad news is right behind.”
Under the “naughty list,” Fishy Frank — depicted as a vampire — is remembered as chief of staff to former Sweetwater Mayor Manny “Maraña” Maroño, who was convicted on corruption charges and served 40 months in prison. Diaz’s mailer also mentions Lago lying in a sworn affidavit about his family’s benefits from a park annexation (more on that later).
It ends, “send him packing to one of his other houses,” a reference to carpetbagger allegations because Lago’s whole world has been in Hialeah. And Diaz — who also flirted with running for Miami commission and applied for the county D5 appointment that went to Lopez — asks voters to “text me your political wishlist.” Providing a phone number: 786-774-2125. And yeah, it’s his personal cellphone, not a campaign flack.
The front side of the mailer has a holiday message from the candidate: “Dear Neighbor, I’ve been really good this year,” he starts. “All I want for Christmas is your vote!” It also lists some of his priorities: Stopping corruption and developers influence, increasing the homestead exemption to $500,000, build climate resilient infrastructure and mandate special elections for every vacancy.
That’s una indirecta. Gov. Ron DeSantis still hasn’t called a special election and the district is likely to go unrepresented in next year’s legislative session. The Florida statute that gives him that authority does not seem to put a clock on it.
Diaz and others have been calling his office daily to urge him to make the call. But if the guv fears that the seat, like so many around the country, might turn blue (read: “¡comunista“) — and there are also two Democrats waiting in the wings to run for HD 113 — he might drag his feet for as long as he can. He already has a well-documented habit of sitting on vacancies until it suits him.
Read related: Ron DeSantis leaves HD 113 without a voice because he can — as always
But let’s refocus on the gold nugget here, “Fishy Frank.” Diaz has promised a rough and tumble campaign if the establishment pushes Lago. On the platform formerly known as Twitter, Diaz posted yet another message to the GOP: He could go so negative that the Republicans could lose the district.
“In my primary for FL House Dist 113, I am the only candidate without baggage,” Diaz posted, about 2 a.m., calling on the Florida GOP and Chairman Evan Power, specifically, “to get these jokers out of my way. “I will bring up everything they’ve ever voted on, every ally, every connection, and drag them through the mud. We will lose the seat.”
He followed up with a second post: “I will not let special interests get another puppet. Republicans need better cleaner nominees that call it how it is and Floridians need the same. You have been warned.”
Ladra got chills. The good kind. Smart campaign people will say he’s blowing cash too early on. But maybe that’s the point. He’s obviously trying to scare the competition in the Republican primary away.
But it doesn’t seem like an empty threat. It sounds honest. Bold. No holds barred.
And it might just be the kind of real talk Tallahassee needs.
You can help get more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and political campaigns to our community with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.
The post No election date yet, but mailers started in eventual special election for HD 113 appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Parting gift: Miami commission pushes through Watson Island fire sale
If you’re going to sell off one of Miami’s last big pieces of waterfront land, why not do it at the very last City Commission meeting of the year — and the very last one for Joe Carollo and Mayor Francis Suarez?
That’s exactly what happened last week, when the Miami City Commission voted 4–1 to approve the $29 million sale of a 3.2-acre parcel on Watson Island, clearing the way for luxury condos on one of the most valuable — and controversial — pieces of city-owned land left on Biscayne Bay.
The timing wasn’t the only thing making eyebrows meet hairlines. The price seems woefully low for one of the last stretches of waterfront property, which has been appraised as high as $342 million.
Read related: Miami blinks on Watson Island deal — kicks can, saves face, still smells fishy
Commissioner Ralph Rosado was the only commissioner to vote no — and he wasn’t being dramatic. He simply asked for a delay until Jan. 22, another independent appraisal, and a better deal for the public.
“This is a really important real estate deal,” Rosado warned his colleagues. “This is historic. And I want to make sure we’re on the right side of history on this.
“I am not a no forever.,” Rosado said, basically pleading for more time. “This is that important, that consequential and that complex.”
History, however, was in a hurry.
None of the other commissioners bit. The deal passed anyway, with commissioners clearly eager to wrap things up before the lights went out on the Suarez-Carollo era.
Commissioner Damian Pardo, the biggest cheerleader, wanted to remind folks that the voters had “approved this by 62%.” But he knows very well that this is not what voters approved when they voted yes last year to sell the land for “fair market value.” He also said that the city would get $2.3 billion in revenue over the next 99 years.
“If we take the present value of that cash flow, it is about $319 million,” Pardo said.
Money mumbo jumbo.
To tamp down concerns about a possible future flip, Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela talked about an eleventh-hour safeguard: If the developers sell the land to a third party, the city gets 10% of the resale price minus the $38 million total the developers are paying now (that’s $29 million for the land plus a $9 million public benefits contribution).
In other words, if the land gets flipped for $100 million, the city would pocket an additional $6.2 million. Is it ironclad? No. Is it better than nothing? Barely.
But it gave commissioners just enough political cover to say they’ve “protected taxpayers.”
Just $6 million more for a property they can flip
Outgoing Commissioner Joe Carollo, never one to leave quietly, declared the deal a good one. “We were forced to deal with this property not in the normal way we would have,” he said, referring to the flawed lease, which was signed before any of the current commissioners were sitting on the dais. “You’re limited what you can build there.”
“There’s no question in my mind that we have made the right decision by voting for it,” he said.
That is rich coming from a commissioner whose legacy includes lawsuits, vendettas, and a federal jury verdict for abuse of power.
Read related: Miami’s Watson Island liquidation sale to developers for lowball $25 million
Residents and watchdogs have long called the Watson Island sale a “giveaway,” especially after an appraisal suggested the land could be worth between $257 million and $342 million if unrestricted. That number lit up social media and public comment.
But here’s the catch — and it’s a big one: The city says it is shackled by a deeply flawed ground lease signed in 2001, which independent experts agree severely limits the land’s value. The same appraisal that pegged the land north of $300 million also valued that lease at $28.9 million with the current lease restrictions. Another appraisal put it at $27 million.
Translation: the developers already control the site — cheaply — and have for years.
As one expert bluntly told the Miami Herald, it’s “a bad asset.”
City Manager Art Noriega didn’t sugarcoat it.
“The city gave up a lot of financial opportunity when it signed this lease in 2001,” he said, with a symbolic shrug of the shoulders. “There are a lot of restrictions to the city’s ability to monetize this.”
That’s bureaucratic code for: We can’t undo the past, and this is the box we’re stuck in.
The sale, which is still súper sus, follows a November 2024 voter referendum approving the sale of the land at fair market value, with a minimum price of $25 million. The $29 million price tag clears that bar — barely — before the added $9 million in public benefits for affordable housing and infrastructure (which, by the way, will be matched with $9 million from the city’s coffers).
Technically legal. Procedurally sound. Politically uncomfortable.
Read related: Miami City Commission to consider two Watson Island developments
Was this a rushed giveaway? Or was it City Hall finally cutting loose a bad deal it never should have signed?
The answer, like most things in Miami, is probably both.
But what’s undeniable is the optics: a massive waterfront land sale pushed through on the way out, at a farewell meeting for two of the city’s most controversial figures, over the objections of the lone commissioner asking for patience.
A new mayor and new commissioner in District 3 will inherit the consequences. If Mayor Elect Eileen Higgins is sworn in on Dec. 17, then she’ll have three days to veto.
Welcome to Miami, La Alcaldesa Jr.
You can help get more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and political campaigns to our community with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.
The post Parting gift: Miami commission pushes through Watson Island fire sale appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Higgins rolls out her first team — and Miami, this is not City Hall as usual
Miami’s Mayor-Elect Eileen Higgins has barely picked out her office chair and she’s already doing something unheard of in the Magic City: surrounding herself with grown-ups. Competent ones. With résumés.
On Friday, Higgins announced her incoming chief of staff and the transition team that will guide her first 100 days — and, folks, Ladra did a double take. No campaign cronies, no political strays, no future defendants. Not a primo in sight.
Instead, she’s surrounding herself with people who actually know how to run things. Which, after the Carollo-Sarnoff-Suarez clown car years, feels almost radical.
Read related: Eileen Higgins goes into Miami City Hall with a fire extinguisher and a smile
The new chief of staff is the old chief of staff, Higgins’ longtime right hand at the county, Maggie Fernández, otherwise known as the adult in the room. If you know how the commissioner operated at the county — quietly competent, forward-thinking, very un-Miami — Maggie is a big part of that.
Fernández isn’t just another insider. She’s a fixer, the good kind — the one who makes government work without needing her name on anything.
Born and raised in Miami to Cuban parents, she has nearly 30 years of experience across local government, sustainability, public policy, and community engagement. She knows capital projects. She knows climate resilience. She knows public works. And most importantly in this city, she knows how to wade into the bureaucratic swamp without drowning or coming out smelling like, well, swamp.
Fernández says she plans to bring “energy and joy” to City Hall. Ladra will happily settle for “competence and no FBI raids.” But joy sounds nice, too.
The other big news is that Carlos Migoya will be among her advisors. The head Jackson Health has 40 years of banking experience before that and was the Miami city manager from late 2009 to early 2010, swooping in to fix a major budget crisis, balancing the city’s books by cutting costs and reorganizing. But he is not a hero to labor unions, who have protested his cuts at the nations’s largest public hospital many times.
Migoya, who makes more than $800,000 a year as Jackson’s chief executive office, is coming to help the new mayor for free, as is the rest of the volunteer advisory team.
Higgins has said she wants to do a wide search for the next top dog in Miami, even though las malas lenguas keep saying that Miami-Dade Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Morales or former transit and public works director Alice Bravo are going to get the post.
Read related: Furloughs proposed, then scrapped at Jackson in the midst of COVID19
The rest of the transition team is not that expected but still very un-Miami-looking. It’s a who’s who of people who make Miami run — not the ones who usually run Miami into the ground.
Let’s look at the roster:
Gepsie Morisset-Metellus — the Haitian community’s North Star, co-founder of Sant La, admired across all neighborhoods and political lines.
Jose Bermudez — business and government affairs pro (lobbyist) with influence across construction, banking, and policy shops. He was also special assistant to Gov. Rick Scott in his first term, special advisor to former Miami Beach Mayor David Dermer. In 2018, he was appointed managing director of Governor-elect Ron DeSantis’ inaugural team. In this role, he organized and executed events in advance of the January 2019 Florida gubernatorial inauguration. He may be the biggest surprise.
Matt Haggman — innovation evangelist, former Knight Foundation Miami director, and one of the people who helped make “tech in Miami” mean more than “a guy on Brickell with a laptop.”
Terry Murphy, Ph.D. — ethics and good-government whisperer and longtime OIG veteran. If Higgins wants to clean up the swamp, Doctor Murphy knows which mop to use where. Alcaldesa, he’s a keeper.
Marta Viciedo — planning, transit, resilience expert and the civic brain who helped create the Better Bus System — which some love and some hate — when nobody else had the guts.
Michele Burger — Miami Beach operative, policy planner, and climate brain who’s worked on everything from culture to infrastructure.
Rebecca Fishman Lipsey — president of The Miami Foundation and philanthropy powerhouse, responsible for shaping half the city’s nonprofit ecosystem.
Tina Brown — Overtown champion and CEO of OYC Miami, who tripled program reach and built a massive community facility without drama, indictments or ribbon-cutting scandals.
This isn’t a political reward board. This is a governance team. Yes, Miami, we are all adjusting. This is a different kind of mayor for a very tired city.
Higgins keeps repeating that her goal is simple: “Get City Hall working for the people of Miami.” Sure, lots of people say that.
But Higgins is backing it up by forming an advisory circle of people who know how to read budgets, manage projects, and look at ethics as something other than a punchline.
Read related: La Gringa Eileen Higgins makes history with Miami mayoral election victory
After years of chaos — commissioners screaming at each other, secret deals, FBI subpoenas, public records games, personal vendettas, the whole enchilada — Miami voters finally chose someone who ran on boring competence.
And guess what? She’s delivering boring competence. Miami might not know what to do with this.
Higgins says her transition team will shape a “bold, practical agenda” focused on affordability, public safety, infrastructure that doesn’t crumble in the rain, and a government that’s transparent, ethical, and responsive.
Honestly, the bar is so low at City Hall right now she could trip over it.
But if Higgins pulls this off, Miami might actually see a City Hall that fixes things without drama — instead of breaking things with drama.
With Maggie Fernández as Chief of Staff and this transition crew behind her, Higgins seems poised to run a grown-up operation — the total opposite of the last generation of mayors who treated the city like their personal group chat.
Is Ladra skeptical? Always. It’s part of the charm.
But this lineup is serious. Competent. Not for show.
And maybe — maybe — Miami finally voted in a mayor who intends to govern instead of grandstand.
Recall vs Daniella Levine Cava hits another roadblock — typos and errors
Miami’s latest political dust-up has hit a bureaucratic face-plant.
If Miami politics has a recurring theme these days — beyond loud politicians and slow public records — it’s this: the theater of outrage always overloads the technical skillset required to actually accomplish anything.
Case in point: the sham recall campaign against Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava that kicked off with more buzz than a cracked beehive is now basically dead on arrival — and not because voters weighed in at the ballot box yet, or because they couldn’t muster the required number of signatures, but because the paperwork couldn’t pass a basic adult spelling quiz.
Read related: Recall effort vs Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is now on track
Yes, amigos. The recall petition filed by former mayoral candidate Alex Otaola was rejected by the Miami-Dade Clerk’s Office because, get this, it was riddled with formatting errors, typos, and a failure to meet basic legal requirements necessary for circulation.
Doug Hanks of the Miami Herald broke the news on X last week, complete with a screenshot of the formal notice calling out the defects. It reads like the sort of thing you’d get back on a term paper in college with a big red “WTF formatting?!?” slapped across the top.
The recall effort already hit a snag last month when the clerk’s office couldn’t approve what was submitted because the Supervisor of Elections had not provided the form. And, we guess, because the petition form used by the old Miami-Dade elections department wasn’t exactly the same? The county commission had to make it official. Whatever.
La Alcaldesa’s senior political advisor, Christian Ulvert, used the opportunity to take another swipe at what he calls a stunt.
“If Mr. Otaola can’t fill out the forms or follow the most basic rules, it’s hard to see how he expects anyone to trust his sham recall effort — especially after 88% of voters rejected him,” Ulvert said. “This week’s stumble is straight out of the Trump playbook. Miami-Dade residents stand with their County Mayor, and no manufactured political stunt is going to change that. Period.”
Period. For good measure.
Read related: Mayoral wannabe Alex Otaola wants to bring McCarthyism to Miami-Dade
And Ulvert is right — especially the part about 88% of voters who rejected Otaola before he even got this far. Nothing in Miami politics has ever been that unified. And then after he gets solidly repudiated by voters, Otaola’s next political act gets stopped because someone forgot where commas go.
Welcome to Miami politics — where passion often outpaces proficiency.
Nobody is saying recall efforts should be easy — they shouldn’t be. But in a county that has seen more than its fair share of political scandals and fights, the real headline here isn’t another recall. It’s that someone couldn’t fill out a legally required form.
For a political stunt that spent weeks accusing the mayor of lacking discipline and leadership, the recall petition’s rejection turns into poetic irony.
In Miami, we’ve seen recall threats become real fights, legal battles, and full-blown political earthquakes. This one? It’s mostly a comedy of errors. So far.
And if you can’t even get the paperwork right, maybe this wasn’t a recall so much as a reminder that shouting into the void doesn’t count as civic procedure.
If you like what you read on Political Cortadito, please consider making a contribution to support the independent, government watchdog journalism on this website. Thank you!
The post Recall vs Daniella Levine Cava hits another roadblock — typos and errors appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Goodbye, Joe: Miami’s Carollo slinks away early and at midnight, but why?
Joe Carollo slipped out of Miami City Hall at 11:59 p.m. Thursday night — and Miami let out a long, exhausted sigh.
End of an era? Por favor. It’s the end of a nightmare. A 40–year Carollo political dynasty, gone like a thief in the night, with El Loco Joe choosing to resign before his successor is even sworn in.
The ever-polemic city commissioner turned in his resignation Thursday, effective at exactly one minute before midnight — which is probably the most dramatic thing he’s done in years that didn’t involve a lawsuit, a meltdown, or screaming at someone from the dais. This is the same Joe Carollo who has spent decades picking fights, making enemies, calling ambulances for imaginary emergencies, and turning City Hall into a circus where he was always the main clown.
And now? Poof. He’s gone.
Read related: Carollo dynasty crumbles in Miami as newbie Rolando Escalona takes D3 seat
Of course, this is Miami, so nothing is ever simple. Why the early resignation? Why leave on Dec. 12 when Rolando Escalona — the political newcomer who crushed brother Frank Carollo in the runoff Tuesday — won’t be sworn in until Dec. 17 at the earliest? The Clerk still has to certify the results. There was absolutely nothing forcing Joe out the door Thursday night.
So everybody is left wondering… and speculating. And Ladra, of course, has collected these theories and now lays them out for you to consider. Please feel free to add any theories of your own in the comments:
#1: More legal issues
Carollo is always entangled in civil litigation. Remember the $63.5 million judgment from the Little Havana business owners he weaponized code enforcement against? You know, the one that made national news and showcased his particular brand of revenge politics? Is he resigning now to avoid some looming legal development? Did his attorneys whisper, “Better to be an ex-commissioner before the next shoe drops”?
Read related: Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo loses appeal on $63.5 million jury award
#2: He didn’t want to face the music
It’s amazing enough that Joe Carollo dared to show his face at the last commission meeting of the year Thursday (more on that later), but anybody who expects him to keep doing his job after Frankie’s embarrassing, decisive loss — with staffers whispering and lobbyists pretending not to smirk — doesn’t know Joe. Our beloved former mayor and twice-elected, newly-repudiated commissioner has one weakness: He cares deeply about how he thinks people see him. Leaving Thursday night spares him a week of uncomfortable reality.
#3: One last power move
Leaving in the dead of night is pure Joe. It’s dramatic. It’s theatrical. And it gives him one last chance to control the narrative — or at least pretend he is. Why wait around while Escalona’s win is certified, Frank licks his wounds, and the entire city celebrates the end of Carollo World? Leaving early is his version of dignity. (I know. Ladra laughed too.)
#4: Bypassing term limits
Could he be trying to set up a comeback? Voters in November passed lifetime term limits which would prevent him from running for commissioner again. Unless maybe he didn’t serve an entire term. Like if he left a week early. It’s not beyond Crazy Joe to have thought of this.
#5: Something we don’t know yet
This is Miami. There is always something we don’t know yet. A dropped ethics complaint? A sealed settlement? An FBI interview? A backroom deal? A new gig or radio show? An impending charge?
Things that make you go hmmm: It’s quite possible that, like other city employees, Carollo’s pension and other retirement benefits would be suspended if he were to be charged before he is officially out. And then cancelled if he were to be found guilty. And we know that there was an investigation into his use of the funds as chairman of the Bayfront Park Management Trust. That continues even though he’s no longer in office.
There doesn’t even have to be a real charge coming. Just the possibility of one is enough to make him dodge the risk and secure his future at Shangri-La.
Read related: Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo loses Bayfront Park Trust to Miguel Gabela
On the other hand, there’s that old rumor about him being an informant. Could his resignation be a condition of that?
Either way, Thursday night was not just Joe leaving his office keys on the desk. It was the official collapse of the Carollo dynasty. Frank tried to inherit the throne and voters slammed the door so hard the shock waves are still echoing on Flagler. Escalona’s win wasn’t just a political upset. It was a repudiation — a loud, clear ya basta from District 3. And Miami’s long Carollo chapter has come to an end.
For the first time in nearly half a century, there will be no Carollo on the Miami Commission. Joe leaves with his legacy tarnished, his lawsuits still alive, his enemies plentiful, and his dreams of kingmaking crushed by a 34-year-old newcomer.
But his timing? His reasons? Oh, that remains to be seen.
And if Joe thinks resigning at 11:59 p.m. will stop the chisme mill, he really doesn’t know Miami at all.
If you like what you read on Political Cortadito, please consider making a contribution to support the independent, government watchdog journalism on this website. Thank you!
The post Goodbye, Joe: Miami’s Carollo slinks away early and at midnight, but why? appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Eileen Higgins goes into Miami City Hall with a fire extinguisher and a smile
Miami’s new mayor-elect says the circus is over
Miami Mayor-Elect Eileen Higgins held her first post-election press conference Wednesday, and the gist is that La Gringa no vino a jugar.
If Francis Suarez turned City Hall into a political Airbnb — you know, a place where he crashed between photo ops and travel jaunts — Higgins made it clear she’s coming to actually live in the building. Clean the kitchen. Fix the plumbing. Throw out the dead plants. Maybe fumigate.
And above all: turn off the damn reality show.
Read related: La Gringa Eileen Higgins makes history with Miami mayoral election victory
“First of all, the temperature on the dais has to go down,” Higgins told reporters at her campaign headquarters — in that measured, school-principal tone she uses right before she assigns homework. “People must treat each other with respect. The era of commissioners yelling at one another and threatening to punch one another is going to stop.
“We have a new dais. We have new ideas and we certainly have people (who) are quieter and behave, in this case, in a more gentlemanly manner.”
She didn’t say the words Joe Carollo, but it was understood.
In Spanish, Higgins said what everyone has been thinking for years: the city’s meetings have become “más o menos un reality show.”
Honestly, that’s generous. Some meetings make an episode of La Casa de los Famosos look like C-SPAN.
Frankly, she’s got it a lot easier now that Commissioner Carollo has his last meeting Thursday. Joe i the msatch that sparks the fire, the kerosene that feeds it, and the guy running around the chamber tossing lit cigarettes just to watch the flames dance. There’s no way the rest of them, as clownish as they can be in their own right, can live up to the legend. Commissioner Miguel “Tony Soprano” Gabela won’t be goaded into a fist fight with Ralph Rosado or Damian Pardo. Joe Carollo termed out. He has gone to Shangrila. And his brother Frank Carollo lost to Rolando Escalona.
Suddenly the dais looks less like WrestleMania and more like… well, a workplace.
“We have a new dais, new ideas, and certainly people that are quieter and behave in a more gentlemanly manner,” Higgins said.
That kindness should also extend outside of City Hall, with “a government that treats residents as if they are customers,” Higgins added. She mentioned the permitting process nightmare and saying the city has to become more efficient, “has to be more modern in how it embraces technology.”
Higgins, also touched on affordable housing — her bread and butter issue — and the city’s controversial 287g agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which they entered this past summer. Suarez didn’t veto it and never said a thing. Classic Francis. Very on-brand for a mayor who showed up to the border trying to look serious, then ran for president for two weeks.
Read related: Miami could join 250 Florida cities with 287g contract to help ICE vs immigrants
The new mayor, on the other hand, has been a critic of state-level immigrant crackdowns and made it plain on Wednesday: “The city should never have entered into that agreement,” she said.
“This is the first election where when I speak to residents, it’s not just about frustration, it’s also about fear. They’ve never been afraid of their government before. And now they are,” Higgins said.
Can she get Miami out of the agreement? Maybe not. She was honest that the rules are unclear. But she can minimize the involvement “There’s no reason for our police department to be in the job of federal immigration enforcement.
“We are an immigrant city,” she said. “We have always been an immigrant city.”
That sound you hear is half of Miami exhaling in relief.
She also plans to replace City Manager Art Noriega, but not until after the holidays. And she said she would prefer to have a national search to find the best person for the job. What a concept!
Because here’s the thing: unlike half the people who say they want to fix Miami politics, Higgins — ever the note-taking nerd — actually brought a plan. A literal one. According to the Miami Herald, she has a thick, running, 300-item “mayor do” list that Ladra hears she’s been carrying around like a political security blanket.
Three. Hundred. Items.
Suarez didn’t even show up three hundred times.
Read related: Francis Suarez is the absent Mayor VIP of Miami — MIA at the worst time
Higgins says she will attend every commission meeting. Every. Single. One. Not just the morning ceremonial photo ops before slipping out the back for a donor lunch. She’s going to sit there, in the chamber, looking at them like a mom watching her kids take a math test — chancla in hand.
Higgins is not an outsider, which is exactly why the insiders should be nervous.
She’s known for drilling into policy until staffers run out of coffee, asking 20 questions when most politicians ask zero, working to actually fix real problems — like Miami-Dade’s broken suspended-license system — instead of staging them for Instagram.
The soonest Higgins can be sworn in is Dec. 17. Which means Suarez gets one more week to look busy, hand out certificates, and take a few more selfies before he packs up his ring light. He’s leaving office as the city’s first TikTok-flavored mayor, and Higgins is walking in as Miami’s first-ever woman mayor — and the first Democrat in nearly three decades.
It’s going to be a sharp contrast.
Higgins says she’ll be in the room. She’ll be hands-on. She’ll be focused. And she has — and this is the wild part — a fully organized punch list for her first 100 days.
Not a slogan. Not a podcast. Not a crypto pitch. An actual to-do list. A Miami mayor with a plan. Dios mío.
Eileen Higgins promised to “stop the chaos.” But turning off Miami’s political reality show won’t be easy. Chaos has been profitable for some people. Entertaining for others. And it has been normalized for way too long.
If Higgins can pull this off — even halfway — it won’t just be a new era. It’ll be another miracle.
The first one? The Carollos are gone.
If you like what you read on Political Cortadito, please consider making a contribution to support the independent, government watchdog journalism on this website. Thank you!
The post Eileen Higgins goes into Miami City Hall with a fire extinguisher and a smile appeared first on Political Cortadito.
