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.
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His grandchildren already call it “Abue’s Park.” Now, it’s official.
The Miami City Commission on Thursday renamed West End Park as Manolo Reyes Park to honor the popular and beloved District 4 commissioner — who his grandchildren called “Abue” for abuelo — who died earlier this month at the age of 80 after battling health issues.
They also gave Reyes — who had hoped to run for mayor — the honorary title of “mayor emeritus, posthumously, as a mark of deep respect and appreciation for his exceptional leadership, legacy and dedication to public service,” and voted to support a Florida Senate measure to co-designate 57th Avenue between 8th Street and Flagler as Manolo Reyes Boulevard.
The room, which was packed with department directors and city staff, erupted in applause.
Read related: Miami voters to fill Manolo Reyes’ District 4 seat with June special election
The late commissioner’s family joined the commissioners on the dais, and Manny Reyes, the namesake son, spoke on their behalf.
“We are overwhelmed with all the love that the city has poured out to us and to him,” Reyes said. “Dad was a very noble man. A man of service… He would probably be looking down and saying ‘I don’t deserve this. I was just doing what I knew was right to do.’”
Commission Chairwoman Christine King‘s voice broke as she said, “It’s an honor to do it.”

On the other side of her, Commissioner Joe Carollo kept his distance. He was the only member of the commission not greeted by Reyes’ widow or family. Probably because he’s been a bully to Reyes and then had his mayoral campaign kick-off on the same day the late commissioner was buried.
West End Park, now Manolo Reyes Park, is a 16.6 acre recreational space at 6030 Southwest 2nd Street in Flagami and the site of a $16.8 million renovation project the commissioner championed that started last year. The grand opening is expected within weeks and the park will feature:

A new swimming pool and pool building
A children’s splash pad with spray features
Artificial turf on multi-use sports field
A walking trail and outdoor exercise equipment
Two tennis courts
Two basketball courts
Two pickleball courts
A new paved plaza entry with service entrance
New landscaping and irrigation
A lightning warning system
Art in public places components

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Flowers sat on the dais Thursday in the space where Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes usually sat as his colleagues voted to hold a special election June 3 to replace him. The 80-year-old District 4 commissioner died last week after being hospitalized. There was a lovely public tribute Wednesday in front of City Hall before he was laid to rest.
The city commission could have voted Thursday to appoint someone to the seat until the November election — which many thought would happen with the justification of an estimated $180,000 to $380,000 in the estimated cost of a special election —  or to hold a special election for the vacancy, and a term that would end in 2027.
Read related: Miami Commission will meet to try to replace Manolo Reyes, who died at 80
“We are not kingmakers,” said Commission Chair Christine King, adding that an appointed commissioner would have an advantage in the November election. She would have supported appointing someone who didn’t live in District 4 and who couldn’t eventually run as a de facto incumbent. “So we wouldn’t be tipping the scales,” she said. “Six months in office is a lifetime.” It would actually be seven months. But appointing someone outside the district is not allowed — nor should it ever be.
Commissioners Miguel Gabela and Damian Pardo — who is the product of a special election — made it clear that they were not in favor of an appointment.
“At the end of the day, let the best man or woman win,” Gabela said, adding that candidates were already campaigning anyway for the November election and that it would avoid “finger pointing” about special interests and favoritism.
Pardo questioned the $380,000 quoted by City Clerk Todd Hannon — $350K for the election and $30K for notices — and learned that the real cost of the 2023 special election was much higher than the $176,657 that was actually billed by Miami-Dade County.
Qualification will begin April 21 and end on April 25 at 6 p.m. Hannon will reach out to the county to see if early voting can be scheduled for May 30, May 31 and June 1 at the Shenandoah and West Flagler library branches.
Among the candidates expected to jump in is Ralph Rosado, who was at the meeting Thursday and might have thought he would be appointed. Lots of people thought that — Commissioner Joe Carollo even said on his morning radio show that Rosado would be his choice — but las malas lenguas say it would have been a split 2/2 vote and forced a special election anyway.
Rosado, who got a parade of residents to endorse his appointment, expressed his condolences to the commission and Reyes’ family. “He was an exceptional public servant,” he said.
Read related: Miami remembers Manolo Reyes while Joe Carollo kicks off mayoral campaign
But then he quickly went into his pitch.
“It would be the honor of a lifetime to serve with each of you and represent a community that I love so much,” Rosado said, citing his experience as former city manager of North Bay Village (2019-2024), where he prepared the budget, oversaw the police and ran a municipal post office. “I’m ready to hit the ground running,” he told the commissioners.

He’s also the president of Rosado & Associates, which proves “urban planning and neighborhood revitalization strategic services to select local governments, nonprofits, and private clients,” according to his LinkedIn profile. Sounds like a conflict of interest waiting to happen. Maybe that’s why he didn’t mention it at the meeting.
Rosado, who lives in Coral Gate, did talk about his experience on the Miami’s citizen oversight board for the $400 million bond, which has included work on housing, flooding, and parks. He was appointed to the board by Reyes, who beat him in the 2017 election (Rosado got 36%).  He knew better than to challenge Reyes last year. But he’s been campaigning ever since anyway.
“For the last seven years, I have been able to express a deep commitment to this community,” Rosado said, and he told the commissioners about 200 or so trees he’s helped plant in the district, the decontamination of Douglas Park that he advocated for and negotiations he has had with the developers of the old Sears store site to lower the number of residences they plan to build under the exemptions of the Live Local Act. He said these talks were successful. We’ll have to get more on the later.
Read related: 2025 Miami Commission contests could be battles between some known names
He has also reportedly been knocking on doors already in preparation for a race later this year if Reyes had jumped into the mayoral contest, as he had announced he would last year (but before his health took a turn). So he has an advantage in a special election because of his name rec from 2017 and his door knocking this year — and the $268,000 or so he has put away in his political action committee, Citizens for Ethics in Government since November (that includes $100K of his own money, btw).
Rosado supporters said that the city did not have to incur the cost of a special election, which one resident said usually draws a poorer turnout, when they had a qualified and experienced person who could be a “stop gap” until November.
But other people — people who would not benefit from a de facto incumbency like Rosado would — urged for a special election.
“It’s important to let voters decide,” said Brenda Betancourt, who is running for commissioner in District 3. “We have plenty of other ways to save money.” She also reminded the commission that many people probably didn’t know about the special meeting.
Ariel Trueba, the chair of the LGTBQ+ Advisory Board — and Reyes’ appointment to that board — did know about both the meeting and what the city should do.
“As someone born and raised in District 4, I would like to elect my commissioner,” Trueba said.
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The late Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes, who probably would have run for mayor if he hadn’t gotten sick and died last week at the age of 80, will get a proper statesman’s funeral procession and his casket will get a drive by past City Hall Wednesday morning, where there will be a special tribute ceremony open to the pubic at 10:30 a.m., before the funeral mass at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Little Havana.
Meanwhile, Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo and his supporters will be preparing for his mayoral campaign kick-off fundraiser hours later Wednesday night on Krome Avenue.
Tacky, tacky. Talk about bad taste. Ladra hopes nobody shows.
Carollo told Political Cortadito Monday that he didn’t plan the party at El Toro Loco Ranch — an “adventure farm” with ponies, a petting zoo and ATVs for riding on the five-acre property — which is being thrown by his political action committee, Miami First. And that it wasn’t his fault that it was on the same day as Reyes’ burial.
Read related: Miami Commission will meet to try to replace Manolo Reyes, who died at 80
It only seems like Crazy Joe is dancing on the man’s grave!
“One, let me be very clear: I don’t control people that want to throw fundraisers for PACs,” Carollo told Ladra on the telephone Monday, after he probably answered it by mistake. He even asked who it was. The caller ID must have failed.
Carollo also said that the fundraiser was planned “long before Manolo died” and then deflected, as Carollo is wont to do.

“Why don’t you ask Eileen Higgins, Ken Russell and the great colonel of the swamp, Emilio Gonzalez, if they had any respect for Reyes by filing to run for mayor while Manolo was sick,” Carollo said, referring to Miami-Dade Commissioner Higgins, former Miami Commissioner and congressional candidate Ken Russell and former Miami City Manager Gonzalez. He added that he had not yet decided that he would run for mayor.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” said Carollo, who is termed out of his district seat, so he has to go somewhere. And Miami First already has $1.7 million or so sitting in the bank account, according to the latest campaign finance records.
And Shangri La doesn’t really exist, you know?
Carollo did not return subsequent phone calls or a text message asking if he could have the event rescheduled, which everyone knows he could do and would be the decent thing to do. But, then again, he is Carollo. Decency is a stranger.
The fundraising kickoff is on the edge of the Everglades, probably as far from the city of Miami as one could get. It seems appropriate, because Carollo is acting like a reptile and we already know he doesn’t care for the city.
The post Miami remembers Manolo Reyes while Joe Carollo kicks off mayoral campaign appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Memorial services for the popular public servant Tuesday, Wednesday
After a battle against cancer, Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes — who lived his lifelong dream when he was elected in 2017 — died after being hospitalized late last week, hours after several speakers at the commission meeting Thursday where he was absent, sent him and his family thoughts and prayers.
Reyes had been attending the past few commission meetings remote while fighting off a cold that apparently turned into pneumonia. He was admitted on Friday night and ended up in the intensive care unit before passing. There will be a public viewing Tuesday and Wednesday at Caballero Rivero Westchester, 8200 Bird Road, and a mass at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 2987 W. Flagler St.
On Thursday, the city commission will have a special meeting to discuss the filling of the vacancy created — because everyone knows it’s going to be much harder, if not impossible to fill the hole Reyes leaves in the community.
There are two options. The city commission could decide on a special election. Or it could make an appointment and put the seat on the November ballot with the mayoral and other commission races (Districts 3 and 5), which is more likely since the election is less than seven months away.
“Prospective appointees,” as the city clerk’s office calls them, need to complete a Vacancy Affidavit of Appointment, State of Florida Candidate Oath and a Form 1 2024 Statement of Financial Interests at the meeting. These forms can be reviewed online at https://miami.gov/cityclerk or in person at the Office of the City Clerk located at Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Dr.
Ladra expects potential candidates to include Ralph Rosado and Denise Galvez Turros, who likely would have run if Reyes had run for mayor. Venture capitalist Rafael “Ralph” Cabrera, president-elect of the Latin Builders Association and the apparent heir apparent, might not qualify if he hasn’t lived in the district for at least a year.
Read related: 2025 Miami Commission contests could be battles between some known names
Someone might eventually sit in the chair on the dais that formerly belonged to Commissioner Reyes, who was a beloved community leader, especially in his district but also citywide. But they’re going to be hard pressed to replace him.
Reyes was known for constituent services, which he said was the most important part of his job, which he honestly took seriously as a public servant. He called it a devotion. After he was elected on his fifth or sixth try in 2017 with 57% of the vote, he was unopposed in 2019 and 2023. Either nobody dared to run against him or nobody wanted to.

He may have been wrong sometimes. Like when he formed part of the three amigos, siding with Commissioner Joe Carollo and former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla on things like sponsoring a measure to limit recalls, firing former Police Chief Art Acevedo and supporting ADLP’s return to the chairmanship of the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency after his aide was caught running errands and drinking and driving on city time.
But Reyes was on the right side of most issues.
Reyes was the sole consistent vote against the Miami Freedom Park project. He only voted in favor of the most recent amendment to the agreement that returns $10 million meant or citywide parks to the developers for the on-site 58-acre park that is part of their real estate complex. He said it was to respect voters’ wishes. But he was an outspoken critic of the whole giveaway from the beginning.
Read related: Manolo Reyes to the rescue; Miami commissioner wants more transparency
He was also the first to suggest that the city hire an outside auditing firm to conduct a forensic audit of all the Community Redevelopment Agencies and any board where electeds are chair — like the Bayfront Park Management Trust, which recently came under scrutiny for misspending and corruption allegations by two former employees in a whistleblower lawsuit.
It’s like Reyes was psychic. Or experienced. Or just plan observant.
Reyes was also the one to champion the change from auditor general to inspector general, with subpoena power to investigate corruption citywide, which was passed by almost 80% of the voters last August..
And, in 2022, Reyes changed his position about redistricting after many Coconut Grove residents spoke out against being divided into separate districts, and told the city’s consultants to return the part that had been drawn into District 4 back into District 2. So, basically, he listened to the people. Reyes had a tendency to do that.
Manolo Reyes gives an interview at a food distribution event during the COVID pandemic.
More recently, Reyes was the deciding vote on removing Carollo from the chairmanship of the Bayfront Trust. And he was the loudest voice against the lifetime pensions that Commissioner Miguel Gabela wanted to provide himself and his colleagues. Just like he was against it in 2019 when former commissioner Keon Hardemon, who has moved on to the county, tried to get pensions passed. He said he was elected without a pension and voters didn’t put him there to give himself one. He got us.
Whatever small faults Reyes may have had — he was gullible, and could hold a grudge with the best of ’em — it’s still that kind of selflessness that truly defined Reyes’ time in public service. In fact, Ladra is certain that there should be a street named after Reyes soon. Or maybe a building for seniors would be better.
Read related: Finally! Manolo Reyes looks real good in Miami Commission race
He was sort of a role model for other electeds. The Miami Herald recently disclosed that commission candidates would often cite Reyes as the type of commissioner they would want to be.
Sure, the commission can try to replace Reyes this week. Voters might hope to find someone like him. Good luck with that.
His family released the following statement:

With profound sadness we announce the passing of City Commissioner Manolo Reyes.
Manolo cherished his family, especially his three grandsons. He loved his many, many friends all across our great communities. He yearned for a free and democratic Cuba. And he was a proud and enthusiastic Florida Gator.
His generous heart especially belonged to the residents of District 4 and all others living throughout his beloved City. Serving as a City Commissioner was Manolo’s great, lifelong dream fulfilled. He energetically served his City with passion, honor and integrity every day.
When he was diagnosed with cancer some time ago, Manolo did not let his illness define him; instead, he became even more committed to accomplishing the goals he had established for himself and his City staff, beginning with his election in 2017. Manolo’s ear always was attuned to “the little guy,” the least among us, and he met with and counseled constituents up until only a few days before his recent hospitalization.
Manolo faced his health challenges in much the same manner he faced his political campaigns: With plain-spoken leadership, with great personal courage, and with an unwavering determination to win. In the end, Manolo’s life of unquestioned character, high moral purpose and commitment to public service delivered his greatest victory of all: He won the reward of reuniting with his Lord in Heaven, resting in eternal glory and peace.
When asked recently how he wished to be remembered, Manolo humbly said: “As a man who fulfilled his solemn duties, to his family and to his community; as a man whose word was his bond, and upon whose handshake could be relied, and who never had a corrupt thought in his entire life.”
Manolo is survived by his wife of 56 years, Chacha Reyes; daughter Meily and husband Antonio Rios; son Manny and wife Adriana Pereira-Reyes; grandsons, Maximo, Matthew and Daniel; sisters Mayda Rodriguez and Merle Reyes; his adored nieces and their husbands and extended family; many beloved friends and his exceptional City staff that were his District 4 family.
He was preceded in death by his sister Maika Reyes, his mother Eduviges Ortiz, and his hero, role model and political inspiration, his father Ernesto “Payes” Reyes.

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