Even Joe Sanchez now says “Let the people vote”
Well, well, well… look who suddenly found religion in democracy.
On the eve of Tuesday’s big Miami-Dade Commission showdown over how to fill the District 5 seat vacated by Commissioner Eileen Higgins, who is in the runoff for Miami mayor, the winds have shifted so hard you can practically hear the papers flapping around at County Hall. What used to look like a smooth, quiet glide into an appointment — with State Rep. Vicki Lopez waiting in the wings like the belle of the backroom ball — has turned into a full-blown special election uprising.
And the most ironic, if not surprising rebel? Joe Sanchez. The former Miami Commissioner, Florida Highway Patrol mouthpiece and failed Republican candidate for Miami-Dade sheriff is one of the five people who submitted what we can only call official applications, as if this were a Parks & Rec job and not a coveted seat representing tens of thousands of residents on the county commission.
Read related: Let the jockeying begin to fill Eileen Higgins’ Miami-Dade commission seat
“District 5 deserves to vote,” Sanchez said, loudly and publicly Monday, but not for the first time. Surrounded by a handful of alleged supporters and curious onlookers outside the Supervisor of Elections office Monday, Sanchez stepped up to the mic to declare that the commission should forget the appointment and let voters choose their next commissioner.
Ladra is sure this has nothing to do with the fact that Sanchez — who can count — is not the favorite to get the appointment tomorrow. That distinction still clearly belongs to Lopez, who has probably been polishing her acceptance smile. There are three others who threw their names into the hat — former county Commissioner Bruno Barreiro, who resigned to run for Congress (and lost), which opened the door for Higgins; former Miami Beach Commissioner and State Rep. David Richardson, and Antonio Javier “Tony” Diaz, who withdrew earlier this year from the special election in Miami’s District 4 to replace the late Manolo Reyes.
“This is not about politics — it’s about the people,” Sanchez said Monday. “And it’s about respecting the voices of the residents who live here, work here, and raise their families here, like I have.”
Not really, Joe. It’s about math.
Sanchez also dragged out a D5 resident, Dixie Rodriguez, who said she showed up because she wants her community to have a say. “District 5 is strong, diverse, and deeply engaged,” she said. “We deserve representation and the right to choose who speaks for us… Every resident — from Downtown to Little Havana to South Beach — deserves a say.”
Several commissioners agree with her. Commissioner Sen. Rene Garcia has consistently voted for elections over appointments. And on Monday he told Political Cortadito that he would do the same now. “People deserve to have their voices heard. I’ve been clear on that,” he said.
But, but, but, it’s going to cost money. His fellow commissioners are going to whine about the $500,000 to $1.2 million or so — because they can’t nail down a figure — that a special election could cost. “Take it out of the $40 million for FIFA,” Garcia said. It’s actually $46 million, but preach!
Read related: Lobbying starts to fill Eileen Higgins’ D5 Miami-Dade commission seat
Commissioner Oliver Gilbert is the one who has an appointment rather than an election on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting. The city charter states that a vacancy — and Higgins’ resignation was effective Nov. 5 — “shall be filled by majority vote of the remaining members of the Board within 30 days, or the Board shall call an election to be held not more than 90 days thereafter.”
Anyone appointed would only serve through the net county-wide election, which is next year, so August. And the typical trend of incumbency means that whoever is appointed will have an advantage at election time. That may not hold true here, but is there any other reason to have an appointment besides saving some money, which is a pittance really when you take a wide look at the county budget?
Gilbert decided not to answer Ladra’s question as to his rationale. “You can submit questions through my office or through the BCC media,” he texted back. Three times. Which is the kind of thing you say when you have nothing better to say. He could have typed less answering the question.
Read related: District 5 clock is ticking; Miami-Dade looks ready to crown a king — or queen
Also on Monday, the South Florida Police Benevolent Association officially endorsed Lopez for the appointment. “Vicky has been an exemplary public servant … with a passion that is not only awe inspiring, but also extremely effective,” wrote President Steadman Stahl, in a letter that praised Lopez for her work in Tallahassee attending to the needs of law enforcement.
Nothing in the letter, however, about her 1995 indictment on 10 counts, including bribery and “honest services fraud,” when she was a Lee County commissioner in 1995 or about how she served 15 months in federal prison until President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence. Later, a court vacated her conviction. More recently, she’s been accused of benefiting from the school bus camera legislation she championed last year after family members got lucrative jobs in the industry.
But that’s just called “passion” and experience.
It’s hard to ignore, however, the quiet push from the community to leave it to an election. This is not a time of a lot of government trust. Leaders and groups that had stayed mostly silently watching have let their feelings known. Some folks who have no horse in this race, told Ladra they were uncomfortable with the idea of a political appointment — especially with the other commissioners flirting with higher office and multiple personal agendas in play.
Read related: Miami-Dade School Board to revisit flawed, ‘connected’ BusPatrol program
Sanchez, who has spent 36 years in public service — Florida Highway Patrol, Army Reserves, 11 years as a Miami City Commissioner — couldn’t resist the jab. “We know there are discussions happening in County Hall, and backroom negotiations in a struggle to maintain power and control of the Board,” he said. “That is not how decisions about representation should be made.”
“Our district deserves transparency. Our district deserves a choice.”
Ladra has to laugh. Because por supuesto there are backroom negotiations. This is Miami-Dade County government, not a quilting circle. Does Sanchez know what he’s getting into?
But he’s not wrong.
The last two vacancies were filled by the appointments of Danielle Cohen Higgins and Natalie Milian Orbis. The whisper campaign to slide Lopez into the seat with minimal fuss has been in motion since Higgins packed her office boxes. Lopez has met with commissioners, courted lobbyists, and done everything short of measuring the drapes. For a while, the appointment was considered a done deal.
Read related: Is a fix in for the District 6 appointment at Miami-Dade County Commission?
Then… the tide turned. Calls for a special election grew louder. Commissioners started getting uncomfortable. The word “optics” began floating around. And now, mere hours before the vote, the once-confident appointment crowd is suddenly sweating. So are Democrats across the state, by the way, who wanted the Lopez appointment to trigger a special election for a House seat they are convinced they can win.
There’s another wrench in the plan. Two candidates have offered to serve as temporary interim commissioners: Tony Diaz and David Richardson. Richardson has told certain commissioners he would serve as a place-keeper so that nobody would have the power of incumbency to run in less than nine months.
That’s something that Commissioner Micky Steinberg supported when she was in Miami Beach and appointed Joy Malakoff to serve the remainder of former Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez‘s term when she left to run for Congress.
Would Steinberg support that now? Calls to her office Monday were not returned. And it’s not like it would be enforceable. There are plenty of examples of candidates who said they would not run for office if appointed and then ran for office once appointed. Former Miami Commissioner Jeffrey Watson comes to mind.
Then there is the partisan nature of an appointment. Lopez is the leading contender and she would turn the officially non-partisan body (yeah, right) from mostly blue, to mostly red. By one. There are some in the community that believe any appointment should be for someone from the same party as chosen by bipartisan voters as not to have the commissioners themselves stack the deck, so to speak. That would also give Richardson another edge.
Will commissioners go with a handpicked, backroom-blessed loyal insider that some folks have been quietly engineering for weeks? Or will they gamble on a special election that could open the door to an independent wild card with no IOUs and no strings attached? Or will they compromise on a placeholder until they can back their own horse?
One thing is certain, a lot of people — candidates, District 5 voters, lobbyists — will be watching to see which way the wind blows Tuesday.
Because whichever way it goes, you know there will be a storm following.

This kind of independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and political campaigns is possible because of readers like you who make a contribution to Political Cortadito. To support more of this, click here. Ladra thanks you.

The post Push for special election could throw wrench in Miami-Dade D5 appointment appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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The day after Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins got into the runoff for Miami mayor Tuesday, the race to fill her county District 5 seat really began in earnest.
First, Antonio “Tony” Diaz, who withdrew from the special election in Miami’s District 4 last June, filed his intention to run for the seat, which isn’t officially open until 2026, the day after the election. Former Miami Commissioner Joe Sanchez, a Florida Highway Patrol spokesman who lost the Republican primary for Miami-Dade Sheriff last year, also filed on Thursday.
Read related: Eileen and Emilio headed to Miami mayoral runoff as voters end the circus
Sanchez, who’s lived in the area for decades and logged 36 years in law enforcement — currently as the FHP’s South Florida public information officer — announced this week that he wants to serve the residents of District 5.
“District 5 is my home: I’ve raised my children here, watched my mother grow old here, and seen this community grow,” Sanchez said in a statement that hit all the right notes of nostalgia and neighborly pride. “Our residents deserve to be represented by one of their own.”
He even added a little populist flair: “I’m advocating for a special election in District 5,” he said. “Not just for my candidacy, but because it’s the most democratic choice. Every voice in our community deserves to be heard, and it’s worth every dollar to let the people — not the politicians — decide who represents us.”
Read related: Lobbying starts to fill Eileen Higgins’ D5 Miami-Dade commission seat
This is likely his position because he knows that State Rep. Vicky Lopez is the favorite in an appointment scenario. Weeks ago, Sanchez was meeting individually with commissioners and lobbying for an appointment. Now he wants a special election.
Ladra agrees that a special election would be the fairest way to go. But don’t hold your breath. Commissioners have a funny way of suddenly becoming allergic to democracy when it costs money or risks losing control. An election wouldn’t happen until February and there would have to be another election in August. Watch them try to justify just appointing someone in the meantime.
The clock is ticking. By county rules, the commission has 30 days to either appoint a replacement or call for an election to fill the vacancy. And with Higgins now in a runoff for Miami mayor against former city manager Emilio González, that seat will be empty for a few months — unless the 12 remaining commissioners can agree on a name faster than usual.
And we all know how fast that can happen. The county commission will consider the process of either appointing someone or calling for a special election at their Nov. 18 meeting.
“District 5 plays a vital role in the fabric of our county,” said Chairman Anthony Rodriguez in a statement. “It’s important that residents and businesses in every community continue to have a voice in the decisions that shape Miami-Dade’s future.”
That’s not really going to happen, however, if they appoint someone.
And Rodriguez has asked the Commission auditor to prepare for the potential appointment process. Translation: start collecting résumés. The county has already launched an online portal where interested District 5 residents can apply to be considered for appointment. The portal will stay open until noon on Wednesday, November 12.
A special election remains on the table, at least officially. The Board’s November 18 discussion will include both options — an appointment or a special election — along with the timelines, costs, and political implications of each.
But let’s be real: if history is any guide, commissioners tend to pick one of their own. The last time a vacancy opened up, the process was about as “public” as a private-club lunch at Joe’s Stone Crab.
Read related: David Richardson seeks to replace Eileen Higgins on county commission
District 5 — which covers the southern portion of Miami Beach and parts of the City of Miami, including Downtown, Little Havana, and Brickell — is shaping up to be the next political hot zone. And Sanchez isn’t the only one circling.
So far, the four people who’ve publicly expressed interest:

Joe Sanchez: See above. A longtime resident , 36 years in law-enforcement, eight years in the U.S. Army Reserves, 11 years as Miami City Commissioner, awarded a Medal of Valor for his role in the ValueJet crash recovery, and he ran for Miami-Dade Sheriff in 2024 finishing a close second in the Republican primary.
Bruno Barreiro: The former longtime commissioner in that district who left in 2018 to run for Congress, and lost.
David Richardson: A forensic accountant who’s served as both a state rep and as Miami Beach commissioner and lost a bid last year to be the Miami-Dade tax collector to Dariel Fernandez. Richardson has been filed for the seat when it was on the 2028 ballot since April.
Vicky Lopez: A state rep with a penchant for getting jobs for her family members through projects and programs she supports.

Will the county commission appoint one of these four — or someone else entirely? Will they call a special election despite the cost and drama? Ladra’s betting we’ll see a lot of back-room deals before we ever see “vote here” signs.

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Former Miami Commissioner Joe Sanchez, who lost a tough Republican primary for Miami-Dade Sheriff last August, is “seriously considering” the commission race in District 5, now that Commissioner Eileen Higgins has announced her Miami mayoral run. It would pit him against former State Rep. and Miami Beach Commissioner David Richardson.
He is absolutely not running for Miami mayor, as was rumored during the campaign for sheriff. “I was never interested in the Miami mayor position. I always said that,” Sanchez told Political Cortadito Tuesday.
Sanchez has been strongly encouraged, practically pressured, to run by several friends and supporters, several homeowner associations, and his American Legion buddies who want to see a veteran on the commission dais.
Read related: Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins could join Miami Mayor’s race
“None of our commissioners are veterans,” said Hector Schwerert, a vet who is 70% disabled and having a harder time every day surviving on his social security and retirement benefits.
“We want someone who really knows us and feels our pain. We need someone who understands our issues and knows our problems,” Schwerert said, citing the rising number of veterans who are finding themselves homeless.
A number of other sources told Ladra that Sanchez has been seeking financial support commitments before he announces. He could also be hesitant after the bruising he took last year in the Republican primary for the first elected Miami-Dade sheriff in six decades. It was a bitterly fought campaign and Sanchez took a lot of hits before eventually losing to Rosie Cordero-Stutz, in a crowded field of 11 candidates with 22% of the vote. Cordero-Stutz, who ended up winning the general and is now our sheriff, got 24%.
Is Sanchez — who took a leave of absence from his job at the Florida Highway Patrol to campaign but is now nearing retirement — ready to put himself out there again?
“That’s something me and my wife will decide when the time comes,” he said. But he is not jumping the gun. He said he wants to see what Higgins will do first.
Higgins filed her candidate’s oath and campaign account information on April 2 with the intent to run for Miami mayor, but not everyone believes it. La Gringa would have to resign to run and give up two more years of county government, where she is the senior lawmaker, for a very risky race against, we think, Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla — who Higgins already beat once, but not citywide — and former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez, as well as a few other candidates. She has until September to qualify.
Read related: David Richardson seeks to replace Eileen Higgins on county commission
“If it does open up, I would be interested in running,” Sanchez said. “If that were to happen, yes, I’d probably run in District 5, a district I’ve lived in my whole life, a district I represented as a city commissioner.”
Joe Sanchez posted on social media last year that he was happy to be back at work after the sheriff’s campaign.
But would September be too late?
Richardson, who lost a constitutional race of his own in November — for tax collector to Dariel Fernandez — has already filed paperwork intending to run for the commission seat should Higgins bail. There’s no special election set yet — and there will have to be one if it’s not in November because there are three years left in Higgins’ term. So he’s filed for the 2028 race, but that can easily be changed if Higgins jumps.
That means Richardson could have a significant advantage in fundraising and connecting with voters if Sanchez waits until September.
There may also be other candidates that decide to jump in, say, another Hispanic candidate to force a runoff. Knowing Miami and its penchant for politicos reciclados, we may still get a Renier Diaz de la Portilla, who lost a the 2020 race against Higgins but came too close for comfort with 48% of the vote. Or, say, former county commissioner Bruno Barreiro — who used to sit in that seat but resigned to run for Congress (he lost) — or his wife, Zoraida, who ran against Higgins in the 2018 special election to replace Mr. Barreiro and lost with 47% of the vote.
We still have 144 days til the qualifying deadline at 6 p.m. on Sept. 20.
The post Joe Sanchez ‘seriously considering’ run for Miami-Dade Commission in D5 appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Former State House Rep. and Miami Beach Commissioner David Richardson, a Democrat who lost last year’s tax collector race, filed paperwork on Wednesday to run for Miami-Dade Commission in District 5, where Eileen Higgins sits now. Higgins announced earlier this month that she was going to run for Miami mayor.
Richardson, who did not make any public announcement or issue any press release on his candidacy, told Political Cortadito in a text message late Thursday that he would talk about it on Friday.
Higgins announced her candidacy on April 2, about an hour or so after it was posted on Political Cortadito that she intended to do so. She has joined a crowded field of declared candidates that include former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell, former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez, perennial candidates Max Martinez, Michael Hepburn and June Savage, and someone named Ijamyn Joseph Gray. Not declared but campaigning anyway are Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo and former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla. Who knows? There may be a surprise.
“I love this city, and I’m running for Mayor to get things done — because I believe in the power of public service to improve people’s lives,” Higgins said in a statement. “From affordable housing to transit to thriving small businesses, I’ve delivered results that matter. As Mayor, I’ll continue doing what I’ve always done: listening to our community, solving problems, and making sure Miami works for everyone who calls our city home.
“Our residents want a city where they can build a future, raise a family, and count on local government to get the job done – that’s the leadership I bring,” she continued. “As your County Commissioner, I’ve been proud to fight for our community and deliver real results. Now, I’m ready to bring that momentum to City Hall – clearing obstacles for residents and small businesses, and creating a city that’s affordable, connected, and full of opportunity.”
Read related: Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins could join Miami Mayor’s race
Lots of names have been kicked around as potential replacements for Higgins on the county dais. In addition to Richardson, las malas lenguas say there could be interest from former Miami Commissioner Joe Sanchez, who lost the Republican primary for Miami-Dade Sheriff last year, and former Pinecrest Councilwoman Anna Hochkammer, executive director of Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition — a political committee focused on reproductive rights — who recently moved into the district with her boyfriend, former Congressman Joe Garcia.
Richardson was first elected to the Florida House in 2012, one of the first two openly gay members of the legislature (the other was Joe Saunders of Orlando). In 2014, Richardson was re-elected to his second term in the legislature without opposition. In 2016, he got 64% of the vote in a district that was 60% Hispanic. In 2019, he was elected city commissioner in Miami Beach.
In between he bounced around with attempts to run for state senate and for state House again in a redrawn district.
Last Nov. 5, Richardson, a forensic accountant by profession, lost the tax collector’s race to Dariel Fernandez, who won with 56%, in what was really a Trump Train for the Republican candidates in all the constitutional offices. His consultant is Christian Ulvert, who is also the campaign and political consultant for Eileen Higgins, keeping it all in the family.
Please help Political Cortadito’s Fresh Colada brewing and bringing you news like this about our county and municipal governments by making a contribution to independent, grassroots journalism and political analysis. Every little bit helps.
The post David Richardson seeks to replace Eileen Higgins on county commission appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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The congressional primary in dielection is too important. So I did something I thought I would never do. I registered as a Democrat.
Ladra has been a deep purple, card-carrying, proud NPA all her adult life. It started as a pragmatic choice by a journalism student who did not want to be linked to either extreme agenda. It ended up being perfectly suited to me since I found issues and problems in both parties that I was just unable to swallow. So I stayed NPA and proudly proclaimed it from every rooftop.
This year, I have already vowed to vote blue up and down the ballot because of Parkland. Yes, a school shooting at a Broward high school that took 17 lives did what LGBT rights and immigration battles, climate change and taxation and energy priorities and even the systematic privatization of what should be public education couldn’t do — it turned me into a single issue voter. After watching the Florida legislature debate gun control in the wake of those deaths at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, I had no choice. Those creeps who said the MSD students didn’t know what they were talking about and put guns in our schools, they need to be voted out. We need a blue majority in Florida.
So, yeah, I am going to vote for the Democratz in November in both my House race (Jeff Solomon has my vote Aug. 28) and Senate District 40.
But I couldn’t wait for November when it comes to congressional District 27, because there is only one Democrat candidate in the primary on Aug. 28 that I know can beat the eventual Republican winner, who is apparently going to be Maria Elvira Salazar — and that’s Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez.
I can hear some of you now saying that I am only doing this because I am a paid campaign staffer. That’s ridiculous. Do the people who worked for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez only support her because they work for her? Do the people on Marco Rubio’s staff secretly wish they could support someone else but are there only because of their paychecks? Shame on you. If you think my vote is worth any amount of money, or that I would change my voter profile from my entire life, you are delusional. This is something I treasure. Nobody can pay for my vote. You have to earn it. And Kristen has. I was always going to vote for her. Rosen Gonzalez only invited me to be part of Team Kristen because I’ve supported her for the three years she’s been in office. Heck, I supported her candidacy two years prior to that, before she withdrew from the 2013 city elections on the Beach. So, yes, I am paid to help her with her messaging and media. But no, I am not paid to support her. I do that for free and happily because of who she is.
What is it about her? A few things.
A single mom, like me, she is the only candidate in the Dem #FL27 primary who has a full time job and lives paycheck to paycheck, like me. She recycles obsessively and drives a hybrid. She walks the walk, not just talks the talk. She is a teacher, with ten years experience as a professor at Miami Dade College and a real intense desire to make community college free for everyone, so higher education becomes a right and not a privilege. She has passed legislation to raise the minimum wage and protect hotel workers from sexual harassment, so she took on the hotel industry in a city that depends on hotels. Sure, she is often unpolished and sometimes says things off the top of her head that she later regrets. I kinda like that about her. Because at least she says something. Her answers are not pat rehearsed and practiced talking points written by someone else. Trust me, sometimes I wish she would stick to my script. She can’t. It is in her nature to be natural. She is the real deal.
She has also been campaigning the longest, having announced a bid for that seat before Ileana Ros-Lehtinen retired. So she was willing to challenge the congresswoman on her own turf. That takes guts. She has something slightly resembling gumption. Nobody else had the nerve. They only jumped in after it was an open seat, which makes them opportunists of a sort.
Most importantly, Kristen is the only candidate in the Democratic primary who speaks Spanish fluently. That is going to become important after Aug. 28 when whoever wins has to battle Salazar for votes in a district that is 73% Hispanic.
Ladra likes Matt Haggman. We worked together at the Miami Herald and he was a fine journalist. But he and his campaign are out of touch with the average voter or resident in my community. Ladra likes former State Rep. David Richardson. Despite his stupid trip to Cuba and the fact that he talks about being the first gay elected to the House like its his only achievement, I think he has good intentions. I love the fact that he took it upon himself to visit state prisons and evaluate their operations as a state legislator.
But neither of them speak Spanish very well. And when pressed to vote for a David Richardson or a Matt Anything against a Maria Elvira Salazar, I fear that a lot of the elderly, high performing voters in the district will go for the name with the Z in it. This is not racism. It’s clarity. Nobody is saying this is how it should be. Just that it is what it is.
And that Gonzalez has two Zs.
There are only a few hours left to change your voter’s registration, if you are an NPA like me and want to vote in the primary. You have to do it before midnight at this website here.
But this message is also or more for those of you already registered as a Democrat: Think about the impact of your August vote in November and don’t throw it away. Think about who would be the best match against the eventual GOP nominee before you cast your ballot. Think about who will best be able to represent the majority of the district, and speak to her constituency in their language.
Then vote for Kristen Rosen Gonzalez.

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Ladra dares Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez to put his committee vote into action and resign his seat now

The open congressional seat thanks to the announced retirement of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has attracted almost a dozen hopefuls who want to represent us in Washington, D.C.: A whopping 11 candidates have either declared their intentions or opened “exploratory” committees.

This includes five who are already in elected office: Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, State Rep. David Richardson, Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen-Gonzalez, Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro and Miami Commissioner Ken Russell. So far, anyway.

One of the wannabes not in office already has a problem with them staying there.

Michael Hepburn, an academic advisor at the University of Miami who Ladra suspects is building name ID for another race, says the “Resign to Run” law that forces electeds to resign one office if they run for a state or local seat should be extended to federal offices, which are exempted from the state statute. These candidates not only cost taxpayers extra, through special elections that could have happened simultaneously with the federal race, they also get a leg up with a bully platform, he said.

Read related story: Bruno Barreiro makes Congress bid official; Dems celebrate

“This exception creates an unfair advantage for the elected official, it’s a conflict of interest, and Floridians should not have to cover the cost associated with creating special elections or continue to cover the salary for these officials — while they use their time on the job to run for another office,” Hepburn said. “This is a democracy and you have every right to run for any political office you deem appropriate. However, if you choose to not honor the term you were elected for – run for another office on your own time.”

“Our aspiring career politicians need to either keep their commitments to the voters that elected them or resign, so someone else can finish the job,” he said, adding that voters he has spoken to agree.

He is right. This exclusion does perpetuate the perception of political stepping stones being used to attain higher office. And you can’t deny the fact that every time Rodriguez or Barreiro or Rosen Gonzalez or the others get free press for doing their job, their congressional campaigns benefit. So they do campaign on our dime and, in fact, could be paying extra attention to issues or neighborhoods that overlap in the district — or even beyond their district or parameters.

These are the reasons why there is proposed legislation that would close the state law loophole — made in 2007 for then-Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, whose name was being floated as a potential VP running mate — and include federal offices in the Resign to Run law.

Read related story: Jose Javier Rodriguez runs for Congress, but it’s not in the bag

Senate Bill 186, introduced by Sen. Travis Hutson (R-Elkton), would require elected candidates who run for federal office where terms overlap to resign at least 10 days before qualifying begins.

And even though it would go against his self interest by requiring him to resign early, Rodriguez voted in favor of the bill in the Ethics and Elections Committee, where it passed unanimously Tuesday.

But here’s an idea — nay, a challenge — for J-Rod, if he really believes electeds like him should resign to run for a congressional seat: Senator, you don’t have to wait until the full legislature votes on the bill next year. There is nothing stopping you from setting the example and resigning now.

If you voted what you believe in, Ladra dares you to put your money (your job) where your mouth (your vote) is.