Condo reform, critical race theory, abortion and more

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A pair of South Florida legislators — one Democrat, the other Republican — are trying again to allow for the installation of speed cameras to enforce the limit in school zones.

The effort died last year but Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez (R-Doral) — whose bill passed committee Thursday — and State Rep. Nick Duran (D-Miami) have made changes in how the citation revenue is distributed between the state and the local municipal agencies enforcing the law.

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It started good at the top of the ticket. Then, ouch.
Was former Sen. Bill Nelson and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum actually winning with absentee ballots? Because early results had them just over 50.
Even Jeffrey “Doc” Solomon had 525 votes over newly-elected State Rep. Vance Aloupis, right, who ended up winning by 591 votes.
But that feeling of rising hope quickly turned to disbelief and dread when the blue wave turned into a wipeout after Gov. Elect Ron DeSantis and former Gov. and Senator elect Rick Scott turned it around.
We had a few bright spots where the wave did crash nicely.
Democrats gained two seats in Congress, with the election of Donna Shalala over Republican Maria Elvira Salazar (though not as solid as she should have) and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell‘s stunning victory over Carlos Curbelo. That’s a bright silver lining for Ladra that we will come back to.
And Ladra’s favorite new elected, mom gone mad Cindy Polo beat back former Miami Lakes Councilman Frank Mingo in District 103. That was a tremendous upset as Polo, right, was underfunded and losing in Miami-Dade, 56 to 44 percent. The voters in Broward — because the district also includes Miramar — saved us flipping those numbers so she won 53 to 47 percent.
But locally, Polo was it. Democrats failed everywhere else.
While Miami-Dade was overwhelmingly pro Gillum and pro Nelson — they won the 305 each with about 60% of the vote — and Democrats were able to defend Sen. Annette Taddeo from a challenge by Republican superwoman Marili Cancio (next time, Marili, don’t attack with lies about Taddeo and the NRA and talk about your own achievements), they let another Senate bid die and lost several opportunities to gain Florida House seats — even letting one flip red in District 118.
Former State Rep. Robert Asencio became a one-term legislator probably because he was too busy trying to help everybody else and didn’t campaign enough to keep his own seat. Granted, it was definitely an upset surprise for Anthony Rodriguez, who lost the primary two years ago to King David “Nine Lives” Rivera, to beat him ever so slightly, 51% to 49%.
The same narrow win gave Doral Councilwoman Ana Maria Rodriguez a seat in the House, replacing Ambassador Carlos Trujillo in District 105, beating Javier Estevez by a scant 560 votes. Democrats are used to voting for Ana Maria, right, that gap was expected to be even wider, but only because the party invested zero time and money in this flippable district.
The real pain comes with what happened up north, where special interest favorite State Rep. Manny Diaz Jr. beat firefighter hero David Perez for the Senate seat in 36 vacated by Rene Garcia (who will run for county commissioner in two years).
Now we heal and rest until next year when it’s time to gear up for 2020. Maybe Democrats will figure something out between now and then.

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The Kendall Federation of Homeowners Associations has yet another candidate forum, the second of three this month, Wednesday night. This one features the head-to-head contests in three House districts.
In House District 105, Democrat Javier Estevez is going up against Doral Councilwoman Ana Maria Rodriguez for the seat vacated by State Rep. turned Ambassador Carlos Trujillo.
The incumbent is Republican and Rodriguez has had Dems vote for her in Doral and $278,000 in campaign contributions, which is about 45 times as much as Estevez raised. Even though she has spent all but about $20,000 to get into the general, Estevez better take advantage of this forum because she has access to more money.
Read related: KFHA candidate forum features Kendall Senate and two state races
In House District 116, Republican incumbent State Rep. Daniel Perez, who has had to win three elections in less than 18 months, will defend himself a fourth time against Democrat James Harden, who hasn’t even had a primary.
Harden is also at a huge disadvantage not only because of his name — Ladra doesn’t think the Eileen Higgins phenomenon is going to repeat in Westchester — and financially, with only $5,960 raised compared to $209,550 raised by Perez.
In House District 119, left open by termed out State Rep. Jeanette Nunez, there are two newbies: Democrat Heath Rassner and Republican Juan Fernandez-Barquin, who pulled an upset beating Analeen “Annie” Martinez, the commissioner’s kid.
Read related: Primary election brings few surprises, leaving general on hook
Still, that took nearly his whole $174,000 nut (including the $30K he loaned himself) and Fernandez-Barquin’s got about $20,000 left — which is still more than three times what Rassner has left. Rassner raised $13,000, but he spent almost $7,000 already as well.
It looks like the Democrats blew it again, putting no-name candidates with very little money or momentum in state races that could have been competitive and could have been carried in a blue wave but likely won’t be now.
Voters can make up their own minds at the KFHA forum that begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Civic Pavilion in the Kendall Village shopping center.

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Setting up a GOP primary with Doral councilwoman

No this is not an April Fool’s joke.

Former Congressman David “Nine Lives” Rivera is nothing if not persistent.

And you never know where he’s going to turn up next.

Rivera — who lost his congressional seat in 2012 to Joe Garcia and then lost a Republican primary in 2014 to get his seat back then lost his bid to return to the Florida House last year — announced last week that he would run in a different House district: 105, where Rep. Carlos Trujillo is termed out in 2018.

He must think that’s an easier win in Doral than a rematch with State Rep. Robert Asencio, the retired school board cop and public labor advocate who beat Rivera last year in such a tight race that there was a manual recount. Asencio won by a scant 53 votes (originally it was 68 and Ladra has to wonder if a second recount would have found the gap closer). Many political observers were certain we would see a rematch in 2018, as Rivera had said to some of us that Asencio would be there to keep the seat warm, unable to get anything done in a minority.

Read related story: David Rivera collects petition signatures for 2016 state House run

But this week, Rivera filed the paperwork announcing his candidacy in 105, which is an open seat since the incumbent is termed out. He already has an opponent in the primary, however. Doral Councilwoman Ana Maria Rodriguez filed in December and has already raised $12,000.

“A lot of people were asking me what I was going to do after I was termed out in 2018 and I’d like to continue serving,” Rodriguez told Ladra Friday. And she’s not backing off just ’cause King Nine Lives wants his old seat back.

“He has the right to run. I’m kind of surprised he’s running in this district, but he has every right,” Rodriguez said, adding that she will keep her campaign clean and positive. They are both Republicans and have been friendly. Both serve on the Miami-Dade Republican Committee. Here they pose for a photo together at the Jose Feliciano concert dinner for Lighthouse for the Blind in 2011. No, it was not a date. That’s her husband, Clemente Canabal, on her right (our left).

“I’m going to be transparent as always and focus on the issues that matter,” Rodriguez told me in a telephone interview after the mother of two had finished washing the dinner dishes at home. “I’m going to run on my merits, on my accomplishments, on my record.”

Read related story: Doral councilman succeeds in ousting clerk — now what?

Among those accomplishments was starting the local conversation about paternal leave. Doral was the first Miami-Dade municipality to pass the parental leave ordinance, sponsored by Rodriguez, that gives employees four weeks paid for childbirth. Other cities have used it as a model.

She was also able to pass a workforce housing ordinance last year that provides an incentive bonus for developers to build affordable housing in booming Doral.

And, until order was restored in last year’s election results, she was known by many as the “voice of reason” at council meetings — the only elected in Doral not embroiled in some kind of political drama at some point or another. That’s got to be worth something in Tallahassee.

If she wants to go negative, however, the councilwoman has plenty of fodder.

Rivera, who did not return a call and a text message Friday, has been dogged by headlines about an alleged criminal investigation into whether or not he propped up and financed a plantidate against Garcia in 2012. But federal prosecutors have not charged him with anything or questioned him about anything — and the statute of limitations is going to end this year.

So could Rivera finally be able to campaign on something as positive as vindication?