There’s a Miami mayoral debate Thursday night, but the biggest news isn’t who’s talking. It’s who’s not going.
The Biscayne Neighborhoods Association, which is hosting the debate along with Griffin Catalyst, the philanthropic arm of billionaire Ken Griffin, decided to only invite the candidates who polled above 10% in a survey Griffin’s group commissioned.
Their list: Former City Manager Emilio González, Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins, former City Commissioner Ken Russell and former Miami-Dade Commissioner Mayor Sir Xavier L. Suarez, who was the first Cuban-born mayor of Miami in 1995. These are the candidates out of the 13 in total who will get the spotlight — and airtime, because the debate streams live on NBC 6 and miamiherald.com.
Read related: One-liners and other memorable moments from Miami mayoral debate
Two of the loudest figures in Miami Politics are apparently not going: Commissioner Joe Carollo reportedly made the threshold and was invited, but had not confirmed as of late Wednesday. And former City Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla — running a redemption tour after political corruption charges were dropped last year — was left on the outside, looking in. He apparently did not even get 10% in the Griffin poll.
You know that’s going to sting.
The four who were invited also polled the highest — along with Carollo and ADLP — for the Downtown Neighbors Alliance debate last month, which became a political food fight of insults and zingers.
Thursday’s debate will be moderated by Miami Herald politics editor David Smiley and NBC 6 anchor Jackie Nespral at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. It starts at 7 p.m., runs about 90 minutes, and while the audience is invite-only — and Ladra has asked to see the guest list — the rest of us can watch live on NBC 6 or stream it on miamiherald.com.
Who’s in — and what they bring
For Suarez, this is a homecoming of sorts. The elder statesman — or elder showman, depending who you ask — gets a primetime platform to remind voters that he was mayor before most of these other candidates were even in politics. He’s been trying to position himself as the grown-up alternative to the circus Miami has become under “El Loco” and “ADLP,” who, ironically, won’t be there to defend themselves. He will appeal to the nostalgic voters.
For Russell, who left a commission seat in 2022 to run for Congress, it’s a new venue in which to pitch himself as the rational, reform-minded alternative. He’s been hammering a message about transparency and ethics — two words that haven’t exactly been trending in Miami City Hall.
Read related: Poll has Eileen Higgins in Miami mayoral runoff with Emilio Gonzalez
For Higgins, the only woman on stage who is trying to become the first female mayor of Miami, it’s an opportunity to stand out. She’s already known countywide as a commissioner who digs into budgets and bureaucracy, and she’ll likely highlight her work on housing and transit. She might even call out the city’s dysfunctional permitting process, again.
For Gonzalez, a onetime President Bush appointee to U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services, retired Army colonel and Trump fan, it’s a last chance to appeal to the other side of the aisle. A consistent conservative voice pitching tax relief and “back to basics” government, he touts the endorsements of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Rick Scott and, most recently, U.S. Senator from Texas Ted Cruz. But all that could turn off Democrat and Independent voters, which he needs to win.
Who’s out — and why it matters
Carollo wouldn’t dare show up to a debate hosted by The Herald, which he calls the Miami Gramma, referring to the Communist Party’s newspaper in Cuba. Ladra doubts that Diaz de la Portilla would have gone, if he had even invited. He told Political Cortadito that the Griffin poll wasn’t realistic. “You have to be an idiot to believe that,” he texted Ladra.
“I am in a runoff with Higgins,” added Diaz de la Portilla, who paid $27,500 last month for his own poll, which he declined to share.
The organizers say the cutoff was 10% in the Griffin Catalyst poll. That’s convenient for them — and a little convenient for Griffin, who’s been spending big on “civic engagement” efforts since moving Citadel to Miami from Chicago.
But let’s be honest: Any debate without Crazy Joe and ADLP is going to feel… quieter. No fireworks. No finger-pointing. No reason for extra security. That might make for smoother television, but it also sanitizes what has been a messy, colorful race — and takes two of the biggest political personalities in the city out of the mix.
Ken hitting Eileen is not as much fun as when he hits Alex.
Read related: Fundraising reports for Miami mayoral race show millions are being invested
And by cherry-picking who’s “serious” enough to stand under the bright lights, the debate hosts are shaping the narrative, perhaps to their favor.
Suarez gets legitimacy. Higgins gets exposure. Russell gets a chance to look sensible. González gets validation.
But in a city where politics is performance art, this debate might end up remembered less for what’s said on stage than for who got cut from the script.
The lights go up at 7 p.m. Thursday on NBC6 and miamiherald.com.

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Former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who was suspended from office after his 2023 arrest on public corruption charges — including bribery and money laundering — that were later dropped, has a new campaign video for his mayoral bid that could easily be titled The Resurrection of ADLP.
The 30-second spot, which is expected to drop online before the weekend, opens not with Diaz de la Portilla himself but with a couple of loyal voters talking about how their guy was done dirty.
“They wanted to do to Alex the same thing they did to Trump,” says an older man with a blue tile wall behind him.
He’s talking about the arrest in September two years ago on 14 felonies that led to his suspension from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Diaz de la Portilla was accused of taking more than $250,000 in campaign contributions and hotel, food and booze costs from the owners of the Centner Academy in exchange for gifting them a city park they could build a sports dome on for their students. He has always maintained that he was targeted politically in his re-election year.
Another abuelita chimes in on the ad, solemnly: “El que no la debe, no la paga.” Literal translation: He who owes nothing, pays nothing. A better translation: If Alex didn’t do anything wrong, he shouldn’t have to pay any price.
Then come the receipts — or at least, the selective ones. The ad flashes images of Trump and news clips about prosecutors dropping charges against Diaz de la Portilla last year. The words like “victory” and “dismissed charges” are peppered in
Subtle? Not even close.
Read related: One-liners and other memorable moments from Miami mayoral debate
The message here is loud and clear: Alex Diaz de la Portilla is positioning himself as Miami’s own mini-Trump — the comeback kid persecuted by “the system,” wronged by the “deep state” of local politics, and finally vindicated by the “truth.” This is part campaign strategy and part redemption tour.
Never mind that the case didn’t exactly end in a sweeping acquittal. The charges were dropped, yes — but after prosecutors struggled to make the campaign finance case stick and a judge tossed out some of the counts. That’s not quite the same as being declared innocent. But in politics, nuance is for losers.
And Diaz de la Portilla knows the optics game better than most.
The video is full of feel-good B-roll: Alex shaking hands, dancing with a little old lady, hugging supporters, one of whom wears a red MAGA hat. There’s upbeat music.
It’s practically a Telemundo telenovela.
But, then again, we can expect one of the other 12 candidates and/or a political action committee to soon produce a video ad with the footage and audio of his arrest. That, too, could be award-winning.
Diaz de la Portilla’s video ad will likely run on social media, WhatsApp, and maybe even some local Spanish-language TV spots if he has enough money — and the same couple accused of bribing him in 2023 have already given $100,000 to his campaign, which paid for the ad, the first of six video ads he is releasing between now and Nov. 4, Diaz de la Portilla told Political Cortadito.
He wouldn’t say what those videos would be about. “No spoilers allowed,” he texted.
This first major message since Diaz de la Portilla jumped into the Miami mayoral race is a big tell. He’s not trying to reinvent himself. He’s doubling down on the narrative that’s always worked for him: that he’s a victim of political persecution who fights for “the little guy.” It’s red meat for his base — the same loyal network of older, conservative, mostly Cuban-American voters who’ve known him and his brothers, and voted for them, since Manny Diaz was mayor.
Read related: Primetime politics: Local 10 News puts Miami mayoral hopefuls in the hot seat
And invoking Trump isn’t just symbolic. It’s strategic. The MAGA crowd is loud and mobilized, and Diaz de la Portilla is clearly hoping that their sense of grievance — of being unfairly targeted — translates to sympathy and votes.
Okay, it’s true that the Broward State Attorney’s Office made a mess of the case against ADLP. But this campaign video isn’t about truth or justice. It’s about control of the narrative. It’s about rewriting the story before his opponents — and the voters — remember the details.
It’s political alchemy: turn scandal into martyrdom, turn suspension into “persecution,” and turn dismissal into divine vindication.
Expect to see this theme everywhere as election season heats up. He’ll talk about “forgiveness,” “false accusations,” and “faith in the system.” He’ll smile a lot and say he’s focused on “the future.”
But don’t be fooled — the message under the music is pure grievance politics: They came for me. But I’m still here.
And if it works — if it gets traction with the base — expect Alex to push even harder on the Trump parallel.
Because if there’s one thing Miami politics teaches us again and again, it’s that scandal doesn’t kill careers. It just gives the next campaign ad better footage.
The post Alex Diaz de la Portilla rides the Trump train to ‘vindication’ in new video ad appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla hasn’t filed any official paperwork to run for mayor this year, but you’d never know it judging by the money trail and the paltry little care packages he has been leaving on doorsteps in The Roads.
After more than a year of reporting no contributions, Diaz de la Portilla’s political action committee, Proven Leadership for Miami-Dade County, reported a new $275,500 collected in the second quarter this year, through June 30. More than half, or $142,000, is his own money. From where? Who knows? In his divorce case, Diaz de la Portilla has gone after his estranged wife to pay his legal fees. But he has $142K to slip into a PAC account. ADLP listed his profession as a consultant, but the money could have easily come from the sale of another one of the properties he stole, er, bought from his parents.
Read related: Alex Diaz de la Portilla is knocking, giving out mameys to be Miami mayor
The largest outside gift is $100K from David and Leila Centner. Yes, the same Centners who own the private school and who tried to bribe Diaz de la Portilla before, leading to felony political corruption charges filed against him in 2023. Allegedly.
ADLP was removed from his seat by the governor after he was charged with bribery, money laundering and 12 other felonies in September of 2023. He was accused of taking more than $300,000 — $245K in PAC donations and the rest in hotel accommodations, meals and booze — in exchange for getting the commission to agree to give away a public park for the school’s exclusive use most of the time. The Centner Academy, across the street from Biscayne Park, would build a $10 million sports dome that would be open to the public about a third of the time — and probably for a fee.
The criminal charges were dropped last year, but that might only mean that the Broward County State Attorney — who had to handle the case after our own esteemed prosecutor said she had a conflict (again) — didn’t really care too much about it. It doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. In fact, the lobbyist arrested with Diaz de la Portilla — attorney William “Bill” Riley, who represented the Centers — is suing them couple to recover thousands of dollars he spent on his defense, saying they let him “take the fall.”
A story from earlier this year in the Miami Herald said Riley’s attorneys say the Centners “feigned ignorance” about the contributions and gifts to ADLP, even though “they well knew what he had done at their specific direction.”
So, is this $100,000 their way of saying “Thank you for not suing us?” Or are they seriously thinking that the park could still be theirs if Diaz de la Portilla miraculously becomes the mayor?
Read related: Public corruption charges dropped against Miami’s Alex Diaz de la Portilla
Diaz de la Portilla is also spending the PAC money like he’s running, burning through almost $110,000 in three months. The PAC spent $108,000 and raised nothing in the first quarter and spent $68,000 and raised nothing in the last two months of 2024.
Of the recent expenses listed, almost $17,000 has gone to Julio Guillen, his family’s longtime gopher and one of his ghosts employees when he was a commissioner. Another $11,000 has gone to Sasha Tirador, the absentee ballot queen who is more at home in Hialeah.
And $3,000 was paid in May for legal compliance services to attorney Yesenia Collazo, the former chairwoman of the Proven Leadership PAC, who also got a rather questionable $175,000 grant from the city’s anti-poverty funds from the former District 1 commissioner five months before he was arrested. Collazo is also billing the city’s taxpayers $208,000 for defending Diaz de la Portilla — one of five attorneys billing a total of $1.3 million — in defense of those very same public corruption charges that were dropped last fall.
What? The Centners can’t pay Collazo directly?
Read related: City of Miami may pay $1.3 mil for Alex Diaz de la Portilla’s criminal defense
The PAC also reported spending at least $13,000 on printing, which you can’t tell by the old collaterals Diaz de la Portilla is dropping off with voters this week. Both of the printed pieces are old.
Hell, there’s even one from when the new pope was named — and that was in early May. People already got this in the mail and now they’re getting it again in his little green bag.
At least $8,100 seems to have gone to Reyes del Mamey, for the typical Cuban fruit Diaz de la Portilla has been passing out at senior housing and dropping off at doorsteps — most recently, with a can of milk so voters can make batidos de mamey.
How sweet.
Maybe they should write a thank you note — to the Centners.
The post David and Leila Centner give fresh $100K to Alex Diaz de la Portilla PAC appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Attorneys for former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla will have to wait a little while if they want their $1.3 million from the city’s taxpayers, because his successor, Commissioner Miguel Gabela, wants the city to more carefully review the invoices.
The city commission could have approved the payout on Thursday, and Gabela said he understands that the city is technically liable because ADLP was a sitting commissioner when the accusations were made and he was suspended after being arrested on charges that included bribery and money laundering. But Gabela was able to convince his colleagues to defer 4-0 (Carollo stepped away) so an outside attorney can “go over the records that have been submitted to us,” because, well, they seem sus.
“Look, it’s clear that we’re going to pay. That’s not in play. The question is how much are we going to pay, and what is fair and what is inflated,” Gabela said. “This isn’t going to be settled today.”
He suggested the appointment of an independent attorney “to examine what has been given to us on the bill, and make sure what is in there is correct what is incorrect is taken out, and then we decide on a number.
“It’s a question of a dollar amount,” Gabela added, as if we didn’t already get that he wants a second opinion.
Doing the math, if all the attorneys were each paid $500 an hour, they would have had to work 2,600 billable hours between them on ADLP’s defense. That’s dedication! Maybe that’s why Diaz de la Portilla got off?
The bill the city got was divided into six parts, for five different lawyers and then a separate and unclassified $110,000 with no attorney’s name attached, that everyone assumes is for Diaz de la Portilla’s time and trouble.
Read related: City of Miami may pay $1.3 mil for Alex Diaz de la Portilla’s criminal defense
The lion’s share of the ADLP legal fees, or $705,055, goes to Kuehne Davis Law and his main attorney, Benjamin Kuehne, who also represented Commissioner Joe Carollo in the federal First Amendment lawsuit that got the two Little Havana businessmen a $63.5 million judgement, the appeal of which was lost just last week
The rest of the monies would be spread out as such:

$208,000 to Collazo Law Firm and attorney Yesenia Collazo, the former chairwoman of ADLP’s Proven Leadership for Miami-Dade PAC, who also got a questionable $175,000 grant from the city’s anti-poverty funds from the former District 1 commissioner five months before he was arrested.
$121,723.33 to Susy Ribero-Ayala, who was already paid $16,110 last summer from ADLP’s PAC and represented him in the civil case on the alleged shakedown for the new Rickenbacker Marina contract.
$98,535 to Richard Diaz., which is also the name of an attorney that has represented Commissioner Joe Carollo.
$86,097.50 to Gunster, a law firm that is friendly with Mayor Francis Suarez, an attorney.
$109,926.81 goes to “costs as reimbursement for legal fees and costs in the case.”

Kuehne was at the commission meeting and spoke during the public comments, just to tell commissioners he was there if they had any questions. But they didn’t ask him anything.
On Friday, the attorney told Political Cortadito that the city’s move to assign a lawyer to review legal bills is a common one.
“While this step will unnecessarily delay payment of the earned legal fees, I will work with the lawyer to expedite the process of obtaining payment,” Kuehne wrote in an emailed response to a request for comment.
“As the Commission recognized, Alex Diaz de la Portilla is absolutely entitled to payment of his legal fees for his successful vindication against the now-dismissed criminal charges. His exoneration was the expected and correct result of his actual innocence.” Kuehne said.
“His legal team is proud to have vigorously represented Alex in the scope of his public service commitment. No elected official should be put through what Alex has overcome in his defense of the weaponized misuse of the justice system. Respect is due the thoughtful and correct decision of the Broward County State Attorney’s Office for recognizing this abuse of the criminal process.”
Read related: ADLP gave $175K in Miami anti-poverty funds to political pal in Doral
Commission Chairwoman Christine King wanted to just sign the checks. “One thing I don’t want to see is this drag out,” she said. “I’m satisfied that the bill is fair.
“This was a horrendous miscarriage of justice. Horrendous! It just goes to show what can happen when people overreach.“
Wait a minute. Let’s back up.
Diaz de la Portilla was arrested in September of 2023 after investigators learned that he and attorney William “Bill” Riley, a lobbyist for The Centner Academy, had funneled more than $300,000 in payments to the commissioner’s political action committee, and his lavish lifestyle at the luxury East Hotel in Brickell, in exchange for the school’s near total control of a public city park. There were thousands of dollars worth of food ordered from room 801 and a rented a penthouse and several guest rooms rented for a watch party for Renier Diaz de la Portilla’s failed bid for county commission. There was an all-expense trip to Boston for ADLP and his then girlfriend, now estranged wife in a bitter divorce battle.
There are receipts.
“But he was not even charged,” King moaned at the meeting, like she could be another one of his delusional groupies.
Um, yes, he was. Diaz de la Portilla was booked into the county jail on 14 charges, including felonies. There were the well-known bribery and money laundering charges, but also counts of unlawful compensation, criminal conspiracy, official misconduct, campaign finance violations, and failing to disclose gifts. The former commissioner, who has threatened to run for mayor, should have been charged with witness tampering, too, after he harassed an ex staffer to keep her from testifying.
The charges were later dropped. But Diaz de la Portilla was originally charged with, it’s worth repeating, 14 different crimes. The only miscarriage of justice here is that there was never a trial. But that’s because our esteemed Miami-Dade State Attorney Kathy Fernandez Rundle had yet another conflict — she knew Riley’s family — she had to pass the case along to Broward, where the prosecutors didn’t care as much and just decided it was not worth their time and effort.
Read related: Miami’s Alex Diaz de la Portilla arrested on corruption, pay-for-play park deal
Gabela, who beat Diaz de la Portilla in 2023 with a comfortable 8-point lead to take over the District 1 seat, is taking the time and effort with the bill. He said it was not political. “For me it is not a question of who is right or wrong. I’m not even touching that.
“I’m tired, since I got here, of paying attorneys fees left and right, left and right, left and right,” said Gabela, who compared the city’s legal expenses to a piñata party and has also questioned the legal fees paid by the city for the civil case against him filed by Diaz de la Portilla, over his residency requirements, and the whistleblower case against Carollo by the two former Bayfront Park Management Trust employees who said they were forced to resign after they found financial discrepancies that indicate the commissioner abused his power as the chair of the agency.
Gabela has also asked for the city to seek reimbursement from Carollo for defense fees in the civil case brought against him by two Little Havana businessmen, which he lost the latest appeal on. Those expenses are estimated at around $5 million.
“I wonder who’s making a referral fee here,” he quipped Thursday. “This should be examined because this isn’t coming out of our pockets. It’s the taxpayers at the end of the day.”
City Attorney George Wysong read the statute that requires the city to pay “reasonable and necessary” costs for a case that stems from something a city official or elected did while on the job. “This case is eligible for reimbursement,” Wysong said.
Eligible? Maybe. It’s arguable if conspiring with the owners of the school to give away a public park for hundreds of thousands of dollars is part of a commissioner’s job. But okay. In Miami, maybe. Reasonable? That’s the issue here.
“It’s a question of the dollar amount,” Gabela said.
Wysong said he will get an “independent counsel” to look at it and come back to the commission with a recommendation in September, “based on a thorough review of the bill.”
In a text message Friday, Diaz de la Portilla told Ladra that he welcomed a second look. But his answer also seemed to warn that the city should be careful what it asks for.
“I want the same. He and I agree,” Diaz de la Portilla said, referring to Gabela. “It’s a tally closer to $2.2 million, without punitive [damages].”
The post Attorneys for ADLP must wait for city’s ‘thorough’ review of $1.3 mil legal bill appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Miami taxpayers may end up on the hook to pay more than $1.3 million in legal defense fees for former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who was suspended from office by the governor after his arrest almost two years ago on bribery and money laundering charges that were later dismissed.
Diaz de la Portilla and lobbyist William “Bill” Riley, who worked for The Centner Academy, were arrested in September 2023 and accused of funneling more than $300,000 to the former commissioner through his political action committee and meals, alcohol and accommodations at a luxury hotel in Brickell, in exchange for his sponsorship of and voting on an item that would give the school control of a public park. It was a scam that never came to fruition after ADLP’s arrest.
The case was transferred to Broward (again) because, technically, Miami-Dade State Attorney Kathy Fernandez-Rundle had a personal relationship (again) with Riley. But in reality it’s because she is either lazy or complicit with all the corruption in the county. There is no other explanation why that office isn’t booming. And Broward botched it.
Read related: Public corruption charges dropped against Miami’s Alex Diaz de la Portilla
The lion’s share of the ADLP legal fees, or $705,055, goes to Kuehne Davis Law and his main attorney, Benjamin Kuehne, who also represented Commissioner Joe Carollo in the federal First Amendment lawsuit that got the two Little Havana businessmen a $63.5 million judgement, the appeal of which was lost just last week.
The rest of the monies are distributed, as per the resolution before the city commission Thursday, as such:

$208,000 goes to Collazo Law Firm.
$121,723.33 goes to Susy Ribero-Ayala, who was already paid $16,110 last summer and also represented him in the civil case on the alleged shakedown for the new Rickenbacker Marina contract.
$98,535 goes to Richard Diaz.
$86,097.50 goes to Gunster, a law firm that is friendly with Mayor Francis Suarez, an attorney.
$109,926.81 goes to “costs as reimbursement for legal fees and costs in the case.”

The city attorney’s office “has investigated and evaluated this case and has approved the recommendation of this settlement,” reads a memo from City Attorney George Wysong to the mayor and city commissioners. It’s on the consent agenda for Thursday, which means the administration does not expect any discussion.

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Politics makes for strange bedfellows. And never has that saying been so spot on about local politics than it is now, with the sides lining up behind Jose Regalado or behind Ralph Rosado in the nasty, negative District 4 Miami Commission race to replace Manolo Reyes.
The saying is really an abstract of a literary quotation — “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows” — from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (written in 1611). It is a proverbial phrase from the mid 19th century used to express when “political alliances in a common cause may bring together those of widely differing views.”
Yeah, that’s what’s happening.
Read related: Manolo Reyes’ widow comes out strong for Jose Regalado in D4 special election
That’s why former Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez was at early voting hyping up Rosado, who will vote for changing the elections to even years, which is what his son, Mayor Francis Suarez wants, to extend his term a year. It is also what Commissioner Joe Carollo — who has been running and funding Rosado’s campaign — secretly wants, so he can get the city to keep paying his mounting legal bills.

That’s why former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla — whose charges on public corruption were dropped not even a year ago — was spotted chatting up Team Regalado during early voting, including the candidate’s sister, Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado, and their papi, Miami-Dade Tomas Regalado. ADLP has threatened to run for Miami mayor against a clown car of candidates that includes Carollo, who needs Rosado’s third puppet vote on the commission.
Diaz de la Portilla doesn’t do anything without his own benefit in mind, so he’s also the surest sign that Regalado is doing well. ADLP has been focusing his campaign lately on District 4, delivering mameys to engaged voters and, apparently, gathering intel on the D4 special election. He wouldn’t be behind Regalado if he didn’t think Regalado was going to win.
That’s why he sent a mail piece to voters, paid for by his political action committee, Proven Leadership for Miami-Dade County, calling Regalado “our future commissioner,” and saying that he “understands our values.”
Read related: Miami’s District 4 candidate Ralph Rosado is backed, helped by Joe Carollo
“Unfounded attacks, on behalf of people with no positive history in our community, will never erase a public service history of transparency, honesty, effectiveness and success,” the mailer says in Spanish. “They attack Jose Regalado as if you haven’t been present in our City of Miami District 4 and didn’t know his history, as if you didn’t understand the difference between dedication and the scandals of those who defame him.”
Yeah, it’s a little extra.

Watch Diaz de la Portilla tell everyone Tuesday night that he got Regalado elected.
Either that or it’s a ruse. ADLP really should be a political pariah after his 2023 arrest on political corruption charges — including bribery and money laundering — in the scheme to give away a public park to the owners of a private school that had funneled more than $245,000 into his political action committee. Even though the charges were dropped last year by the Broward State Attorney’s office — because he is not elected by Miami-Dade voters — there is nothing to suggest that it didn’t happen. Why would his endorsement be positive?
In fact, it’s already been used by Team Rosado to take the heat off Carollo. I mean, ADLP has to be just as bad, right? It takes som pressure off the cooties Rosado gets from his Crazy Joe association. It’s almost like it’s intentional.
Then there is that meh mailer. Diaz de la Portilla spent good money on a positive piece about Regalado when he could have done a hit piece on Rosado’s myriad conflicts of interests or his blatant lying or about his getting fired from North Bay Village or being pally wally with former City Attorney Victoria “Tricky Vicky” Mendez. It seems like a waste of his talents.
The Regalado campaign told Political Cortadito that they are not accepting any endorsements, but welcome all well-wishers.
Former Miami City Manager Emilio Gonzalez, who is also running for mayor, has also been walking and knocking in District 4 and, reportedly, pushing for Regalado as well as himself. Or maybe he’s also reading los caracoles and wants to be aligned with the winner. Another announced mayoral candidate, Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins — who is not, like, besties with Raquel Regalado on their dais — endorsed Jose Regalado last week on Spanish language radio.
That’s just the anti-Joe sentiment. And it’s sorta normal.
Read related: In Miami D4 race, Jose Regalado strikes back at Ralph Rosado’s lies on air, mail
But it is weird for Ladra to see someone like Xavier Suarez aligned with Carollo. And he knows it.
“I think they’re both qualified. Maybe Rosado is a little bit more qualified,” said Suarez, who was elected the first Cuban-born mayor of Miami — and served from 1985 to 1993 and then again for a few months in 1997 and 1998, when that election was overturned after evidence of absentee ballot fraud — before he was county commissioner in District 7, preceding Raquel Regalado. (Yeah, we need a flow chart for this one.)
“He was responsive and the other guy wasn’t,” the elder Suarez told Political Cortadito, adding that he tried to reach Regalado about the proposed tree ordinance when the latter was assistant director of the city’s building department. “I couldn’t get a call back,” he said, adding that a friend gave him sage advice: “You can’t base your support on who else is supporting that person.
“If I knew it was based on some sort of deal, it would be different.”
It’s hard for Ladra to believe X is that naive, still. Because if it’s Carollo, it is based on some sort of deal.
The post Strange political bedfellows form from Miami’s ugly District 4 special election appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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