Joe Carollo and his PAC are back to same old tricks 
It is so predictable that the special election for Miami Commission seat in District 4 would have someone calling one of the candidates a communist.
But it still hits strange that it would happen to Jose Regalado, the youngest son of former Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, who arrived in the U.S. in 1962 as a Pedro Pan kid, shipped to the country by his parents in a massive Catholic Church operation to save children from the communist regime taking hold on the island. The mayor’s father, the candidate’s grandfather, spent 22 years as a political prisoner. His brother Tommy worked for TV Martí.
But those details are lost in this classic Joe Carollo tactic, which the Miami Commissioner — who is pushing hard to get Ralph Rosado elected, instead — has used in many, if not all, his campaigns. Carollo, whose political action committee is dropping daily mailers to D4 voters on Rosado’s behalf, doesn’t need proof. Communist is just a word he throws out. Like chavista.
“José Regalado doesn’t care about the pain of our people,” one mailer says in Spanish. “He tells you one thing upfront and does something else behind your back.” It’s intentionally vague, based on pure emotion, trying to irritate Cuban voters with a tired photo Carollo has used time and time again of Academy Award winning actor and known socialist apologist Sean Penn at a Miami Heat game in 2011. They just happened to run into each other. Ladra thinks it was during the Miami Film Festival.
Read related: Manolo Reyes’ widow comes out strong for Jose Regalado in D4 special election
At least this time, Carollo is using it against the right brother. In 2017, he used the same photo in a mail piece against Tomas N. “Tommy” Regalado when they both ran for commission.
But wait, there’s more.

Not only is Regalado a commie, like the rest of his family — but other mailers say the Regalados are laundering drug money for chavistas tied to the Venezuelan government (another recycled attack) and that the 40-year-old candidate is also a “rumbero,” which is cuban slang for partygoer or club aficionado. And how dare he enjoy our nightlife?
Regalado and Rosado are running in the special election June 3 to replace Manolo Reyes, who passed away last month. And Carollo is reportedly pouring at least half a million dollars from his PAC, Miami First, into the race. He is that desperate to get Rosado elected and get a third vote on the commission to move his agenda forward and block any attempts at true reforms like the lifetime term limits that Commissioner Damian Pardo is pushing (more on that later).
If it seems like life or death for him, it is because it is. This race could really either breathe life into Carollo’s power  (and abuse) for whatever time he has left on the dais — which could be longer than we think if the election date is changed (more on that later) — or kill it for good. So Carollo is throwing everything at Regalado to see what sticks. That is also a classic Carollo tactic.
Ladra predicts that nothing will stick. Because D4 is Regalado Country. These people know the Regalados — which also include Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado — are not cartel-cozying communist chavistas. That’s not even a stretch. That’s a giant heap de lo que pica el pollo. El Pollo Carollo, in this case.

Not such a stretch: A mailer sent earlier this month that paints Rosado as Carollo’s puppet and quotes a Political Cortadito exclusive in which the candidate outright lies to Ladra about the commissioner being at a city park with him to direct a video campaign ad.  “Who will control Ralph Rosado on the Miami Commission,” the mailer asks in the headline. “Joe Carollo, who has cost the city of Miami taxpayers well over $15 million in legal fees for his defense and settlements due to his rampant abuse of power is openly funding and supporting Ralph Rosado’s campaign.
Read related: Miami’s District 4 candidate Ralph Rosado is backed, helped by Joe Carollo
“Ralph Rosado was caught lying about his close relationship to Joe Carollo,” it says on the other side, quoting the story in Political Cortadito from earlier this month: “Rosado… denied that Carollo had been at the park with him. ‘No. He was not directing. He wasn’t there,’ Rosado told Political Cortadito. When Ladra told him she had video of Carollo and his wife at the park with him and his mother-in-law, and asked if he wanted to change or stick to his answer, Rosado hesitated a little. Then he said, ‘I’ll get back to you.’”
He never did, by the way.
“Tell Ralph Rosado one Joe Carollo on the City of Miami Commission is enough,” it ends.
Actually, one Joe Carollo on the City of Miami Commission is one too many.
That mailer was paid for by Proven Leadership for Miami, a PAC chaired by Miami River Commission Chairman Horacio Aguirre and used for the senior Regalado in his campaign for county property appraiser last year. So was the one sent this week that calls Rosado “a proven tax and spend bureaucrat” with a “documented history of incompetence and raising taxes.”

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In the two weeks after the city of Miami scheduled a special election to fill the commission vacancy caused by the death of Manolo Reyes, the two candidates have raised almost $100,000 combined. And local favorite Jose Regalado — of those Regalados — who quit his job as assistant building director to run for office at the request of Reyes’ widow, out-raised urban planner Ralph Rosado, who was basically fired from his job as city manager of North Bay Village (more on that later), almost three to one.
Regalado reported a total of $67,470 in contributions raised through May 2, while Rosado had a total of $26,454, according to their first campaign finance reports, filed Friday.
The contributions in Regalado’s report are also from a diverse group of sources. Meanwhile, the contributions in Rosado’s report include bundles from four sources that add up more than half of his take for the one month period. He’s got $5,000 each from developer Sergio Rok and the owners of the Green Acres Trailer Park, $3,000 from the owners of Adonel Concrete and $2,000 from real estate investor Robert Sckalor.
Read related: Manolo Reyes’ widow comes out strong for Jose Regalado in D4 special election
They both have quite a few contributions from lobbyists, including South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez, who gave to both candidates, hedging his bets. One interesting gift is a $250 check to Rosado, a rabid Republican, from former Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner, an uber Democrat former state rep who ran against Jose Regalado’s sister, Raquel Regalado, for county commission twice and lost both times. That looks like an obvious example of emotional spending.
Ladra hopes she feels better.
Jose Regalado has some bundles, too. He has $5,000 from gasoline mogul Max Alvarez and $3,000 from developer Jorge Salazar. But there are far more actual people giving to his campaign than to Rosado’s. His expenses are also higher, with more than $10,000 spent on radio and $1,500 for professional photos.
Rosado’s expenses include almost $2,500 in yard signs and $914 for text messages.
Both of the candidates also have political action committees spending money on their respective campaigns.
Rosado has the benefit of Commissioner Joe Carollo‘s PAC, Miami First, sending mailers and paying for other messaging on his behalf. It recently sent a mailer that said Jose Regalado wants to bring red light cameras back to Miami. It’s not true. It’s a tired old Carollo campaign smear he used on Tommy Regalado, the elder son of the former mayor, when both ran for commission in 2017. It was Miami-Dade Property Appraiser Tomas Regalado, who was Miami mayor from 2009 to 2017, who championed red light cameras once upon a time.
Read related: Miami’s District 4 candidate Ralph Rosado is backed, helped by Joe Carollo
By the way, so did Carollo, who was city manager in Doral when the city was installing its own traffic cameras.
Regalado has Proven Leadership for Miami, a PAC chaired by Miami River Commission Chairman Horacio Aguirre for the candidate’s father, Miami-Dade Property Appraiser Tomas Regalado, who was Miami mayor from 2009 to 2017.
Voters won’t get any information on the PAC contributions and expenses until a month after the election. There will be two more campaign finance reports filed with the city clerk’s office before the June 3 special election: one on the 23rd and one on the 30th, four days before the election — and also the day that early voting begins.
The deadline to request a vote-by-mail or absentee ballot is May 22.
The post Jose Regalado is winning fundraising race in Miami’s D4 special election appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Miami Commission candidate Ralph Rosado — who is running in the special election June 3 to replace the late commissioner Manolo Reyes — may be a habitual liar.
Last week, Rosado blatantly told Ladra that Commissioner Joe Carollo was not at the park with him, directing his campaign video, on Thursday. But there is a candid phone recording that disputes that, showing Carollo guiding Rosado as he walks with his mother-in-law. Over the last week, Rosado has sent text messages saying he is a lifelong resident or longtime resident of the city of Miami — even though he can’t be both.
But that’s another lie. Rosado lived in Schenley Park, just west of Coral Gables, 3.6 miles outside the city of Miami limits, for at least five years. Records with the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser’s office show that he and his wife bought the home for $575,000 in October of 2004 and then sold it for a loss, $520,000 in October, 2009. He knows this. He was president of the Schenley Park Homeowners Association at one time.
Read related: Miami’s District 4 candidate Ralph Rosado is backed, helped by Joe Carollo
In 2008 he bought another house in Schenley Park for $223,000 and took another loss, selling it for $145,000 three years later, according to the county records. And there was another house he bought, under the company Rosado Investment Group, in 2006 for $320,000 and sold in 2010 for $450,000, at last making a profit.
Rosado still owns a home in Schenley Park, which is an unincorporated Miami-Dade community, through his family trust. It has a market value of $1.24 million. The subdivision is called “Rosado Estates.” He also owns three vacant lots valued at more than $1 million in the same neighborhood through a company called Rafael Rosado and Leocadia E. Rosado, LLC.
He used the Rosado Investment Group address in Schenley Park when he ran for state rep, losing the Republican primary in 2010 among a crowded field. The winner was Michael Bileca, who went on to beat Democrat Lisa Lesperance and win three re-elections after until he was termed out in 2018.
That’s not something you forget.
County records also show that Rosado and his wife Maria also owned a home in Tamiami that they sold in 2005 for $300K. They purchased their current 4-bedroom, 2-bath home in the Coral Gate neighborhood of Miami in 2014 for $180,000. What a steal! the house today has an assessed value of more than $560,000 and a market value of more than $900,000. That’s one hell of an investment.
Read related: Miami voters to fill Manolo Reyes’ District 4 seat with June special election
But it’s been just over 10 years, not 30 years, like he says in another text message. In a mail piece, Rosado says he’s been a district resident for nearly 25 years. His messages are conflicting: Is he a “lifelong District 4 resident,” or “someone who has lived in Miami for over 30 years” or in the district for “nearly 25 years?” Which is it?
The answer: Neither.
Rosado seems adverse to the truth. And that’s probably not what Miami voters want in a commissioner. Their other choice is Jose Regalado, who resigned his position as assistant building director to run after Reyes’ widow asked him to. Jose Regalado is the son of former Miami Mayor and now Property Appraiser Tomas Regalado and brother of Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado. This is his first run for office.
In 2017, when Rosado ran against Manolo Reyes for the seat, he sent a mailer saying that he “spearheaded an initiative to hire 100 new officers.” Um, what? He wasn’t an incumbent. He spoke during public comments at commission meetings in favor of hiring more police officers, but he did not spearhead anything.
Read related: Candidate Ralph Rosado exaggerates ‘his’ police initiatives
A few days ago, he posted a photo of himself during a press conference about a park renovation — standing at a city of Miami podium as if he were an incumbent. It’s disingenuous.
Last month, he was caught in an outright lie after he got direction from Carollo while recording a video ad at a park. Rosado lied to Ladra and first told her Carollo was not there. “He was not directing. He wasn’t there,” Rosado said. When told that there was a candid camera video of him walking with his mother-in-law as Carollo walked backwards in front of them, with Marjory Carollo nearby holding a clipboard — is she always holding a clipboard? — he said, “I’ll get back to you.”
He has not. Rosado also did not return calls Wednesday, but he did text that he lived in the city of Miami from 1972 to 1984, from 1999 to 2002 and from 2010 to the present, including a few years at a home his wife owns while they worked on their home, Rosado told Ladra. But that is still not his whole life.
And we can’t believe what he says, anyway.
The post Ralph Rosado keeps lying, misleading voters in Miami Commission D4 race appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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In the race to replace the late Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes in District 4, Ralph Rosado has Joe Carollo on his side and Jose Regalado has Chacha Reyes, the late commissioner’s widow on his.
It’s no contest.
The voice of Chacha Reyes is on the radio practically every hour in Spanish, urging voters to support Regalado — son of former Mayor and now Property Appraiser Tomas Regalado and brother of Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado — in the June 3 special election, like it was what Manolo would have wanted. And she should know. She was married to him for 56 years before the commissioner died last month at the age of 80.
“This is Chacha Reyes speaking to you,” the 30-second spot starts. “My family and I are going through very difficult times because of the loss of Manolo. But, despite that, we are very concerned about who is going to occupy his seat and continue to serve the residents of District 4.
Read related: Miami voters to fill Manolo Reyes’ District 4 seat with June special election
“And we have decided, thinking of you, that the one who can do it is Jose Francisco Regalado, because of his integrity, his knowledge of the city of Miami, and the example he had in Manolo and his father, Tomas Regalado. We ask that on June 3, you vote for Jose Francisco Regalado,” she says in the ad.
Chacha Reyes never recorded a radio commercial for her husband, even though spousal support is a pretty common campaign commodity in Miami politics. “I’m not political,” she told Political Cortadito. “I supported Manolo, but invisibly.”
She felt strong enough about this race, however, that she had to voice her concerns. She is the one who called Regalado and urged him to run, after all. So, she’s taken a keen interest in his success.
“Jose worked with Manolo. He knows what Manolo thought, what Manolo wanted,” Chacha Reyes said Wednesday in a short telephone interview. “I am the one who called him. He never thought about running for office. He said he would do it first, in memory of Manolo, and second, ‘because you are asking me,’” she said, quoting Regalado, who she calls one of her adopted sons.
“I know he is going to continue Manolo’s legacy,” Chacha Reyes said, adding that there are park renovations and other projects that have been started but not finished. “He wants to do it in Manolo’s memory. He is not going to take credit for what Manolo did.
“He has a lot of experience and has worked for the city a long time. He knows what is going on in the city,” she said. “He would start the first hour working, not learning.”
The late Miami commissioner Manolo Reyes with his wife Chacha and their family.
She still cries every day over the loss. Especially when she goes out and, invariably, people come up to her to say what a great public servant Manolo was or how funny he was or how he helped them with this or that situation. “I’m proud every day of everything he left behind, the mark he left on the community,” Chacha Reyes said.
Read related: Miami Commission honors the late Manolo Reyes with park, honorary title
“And God hope the next politicians learn from him and stop this discord,” she said.
And Ladra thinks that’s the radio ad she should record next.
Meanwhile, Rosado is getting help from Commissioner Carollo, who everyone knows uses the city’s resources to retaliate against his real or perceived political enemies, having been found guilty by a jury of violating the first amendment rights of two Little Havana businessmen in a case where they awarded $63.5 million to the plaintiffs. Carollo also had his mayoral campaign fundraising kick-off last month the same day as Reyes was buried. Tasteless.
Last month, Rosado was caught getting direction from Carollo while recording a video ad at a park. Rosado lied to Ladra and first told her Carollo was not there. “He was not there. He was not directing,” he said. When told that there was a candid camera video of him walking with his mother-in-law as Carollo walked backwards in front of them, with Marjory Carollo nearby holding a clipboard — is she always holding a clipboard? — Rosado said, “I’ll get back to you.”
He has not. On Wednesday, he left Ladra hanging again when she wanted to follow up on that and the misleading campaign text messages going out in which he says he’s a lifetime resident, when he’s not (more on that later). Regalado is.
There’s really no contest there either.
The post Manolo Reyes’ widow comes out strong for Jose Regalado in D4 special election appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Ralph Rosado, an urban planning consultant and longtime Miami resident who is running in the special election next month in District 4 to replace Manolo Reyes — who died unexpectedly at 80 after having a health setback — was spotted filming a campaign video at Douglas Park Thursday afternoon. Also spotted: Commissioner Joe Carollo, acting as director.
In a candid camera video provided to Political Cortadito late Thursday, Marjory Carollo is also on the set, holding a clipboard, as Rosado walks along with his mother-in-law, on Joe Carollo’s cue.
It’s not the first sign that Rosado is Carollo’s candidate for the June 3 special election. But it’s the most evident one that he is heavily involved in Rosado’s campaign. He needs that third vote now that Commission Chairwoman Christine King is going along with almost everything he says. Commissioners Miguel Gabela and Damian Pardo are pretty much lost to him.
Read related: Miami voters to fill Manolo Reyes’ District 4 seat with June special election
Carollo already talked Rosado up on his weekday morning radio show, saying the day of the special meeting where commissioners met to decide whether to appoint someone to the seat or go to a special election, that he thought Rosado was the best choice.
Crazy Joe was not at the kick-off for Rosado’s campaign at La Carreta on 8th Street Thursday night. Almost nobody was. It was a small crowd and did not seem too excited, judging by the video taken by community outreach strategist Nadir Perez and shared on his Instagram. Rosado told Ladra that “a lot of residents” went.
“I have not sought out the endorsement of anybody on the commission,” Rosado said, adding that Carollo may prefer him to Jose Regalado — son of former Mayor Tomas and brother of Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel — who is running against him and has the Reyes family’s endorsement. “He doesn’t love some of the other people on the other side. There’s some bad blood.”
Ya think?
Rosado, the former city manager at North Bay Village, also said he had been all over the city Thursday recording video for the campaign and denied that Carollo had been at the park with him. “No. He was not directing. He wasn’t there,” Rosado told Political Cortadito. When Ladra told him she had video of Carollo and his wife at the park with him and his mother-in-law, and asked if he wanted to change or stick to his answer, Rosado hesitated a little. Then he said, “I’ll get back to you.’”
Of course, he did not. And yeah, no, I wouldn’t want to own up to it either, Ralph. We get ya.
But it is very clear from this video taken from a car parked at the park that Carollo is directing here.

There’s been a rumor that former Commissoner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who has been walking and knocking on doors in his threatened run for mayor, is helping Regalado. It might even be a whisper campaign from Team Rosado to balance out the Carollo baggage. But that is nonsense. Regalado’s campaign team is sister Raquel Regalado, Alex Miranda doing digital and the like, Emiliano Antuñez doing canvassing and mailers, maybe. ADLP would not fit in.
Read related: Jose Regalado resigns city job to run for Miami commissioner in District 4
Maybe it’s just because everyone expects Diaz de la Portilla and Carollo to run against each other for mayor.
Or maybe it’s because the political action committee that is printing materials for Jose Regalado is called Proven Leadership for Miami, while ADLP’s is Proven Leadership for Miami-Dade. Proven Leadership for Miami is chaired by Horacio Aguirre, who once ran against Diaz de la Portilla in District 1. The chairman of the Miami River Commission is very good friends with Property Appraiser Tomas Regalado, whose campaign gave the PAC $2,880 this January in its last recorded contribution, according to campaign finance reports, which indicate it was used in the property appraiser’s race, as well.
Rosado’s PAC, meanwhile, is Citizens for Ethics in Government — I know, and he’s Carollo’s candidate! — which has raised $268,740 since November — $100K of which is his own — more than half of it in the first quarter this year, according to campaign finance reports. He has hired Brian Goldmeier as his professional fundraiser and Jesse Manzano as his campaign consultant, the same team that recently helped Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago get re-elected.
Both Manzano and Carollo served as consultants to former Miami-Dade Mayor now Congressman Carlos Gimenez on his 2016 re-election campaign.
The post Miami’s District 4 candidate Ralph Rosado is backed, helped by Joe Carollo appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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