Former Miami Beach City Commissioner Michael Góngora will confirm weeks of speculation and file Monday for the commission race in Group 3.

Góngora was a commissioner from 2009 to 2013 in that seat before he ran for mayor in 2013 against Philip Levine. He also lost a race for Florida senate last year, but only because his name did not resonate outside the city. ven though there were five other candidates, he won almost 60% of the vote in Miami Beach and led in every precinct in the city.

“It shows me Miami Beach residents want me back in office,” Góngora told Ladra Sunday night as he left an Equality Florida event. “Now that my former Commission seat is vacant, I have a responsibility to return to office and help work on the issues Miami Beach is facing, which include transportation, development, flooding and mass transit.”

Read reated story: Michael Gongora, Jason Pizzo rack up endorsements for Senate

Gongora said that things haven’t really gotten better since he left office and that perhaps they have gotten worse.

“It’s time to get back to basics,” Góngora said. “Miami Beach has been focused on trying to e a player in the national arena,” Gongora said, referring to the offer of a Cuan embassy, the minimum wage ordinance and Levine’s attention on sea level rise and climate change.

“What we need are clean streets that are not flooded, a safer city, more transparency and financial oversight,” Góngora said, referring to the recent discovery that $3.6 million has been stolen from a city account and wasn’t even noticed missing for six months.

“That’s a huge issue,” he said adding that former Commissioner Deede Weithorn had warned about oversight in the finance department. “Nobody wants to own up to the problem. We’re spending money to study how to tighten up when we know what we need are more people and more oversight.”

Weithorn, former Mayor Matti Bower and current Vice Mayor Kristen Rosen Gonzalez — who has got to be hungry for an ally — are going to host the kick-off event for Góngora’s campaign on March 29, he said.

Read related story: Mike Grieco first to run for open Miami Beach mayor’s seat

The former commissioner is running for the seat now occupied by Commissioner Joy Malakoff, a pocket vote for Mayor Levine who has said she will not seek relection because theres nothing there for her when he’s gone.

Two other candidates have filed paperwork indicating they will run. Adrian Gonzalez has raised almost $7,500 and Cindy Mattson, who hadn’t raised anything as of the last report available, through February.

Góngora definitely enters the race as the frontrunner due to his leadership and likely support from a number of community organizations that he has been involved with for a long time, from before being elected in 2009 until the present. Last year, he was elected president of the Miami Beach Bar Association.

“I am confident the voters will choose my proven leadership and trusted experience to move Miami Beach forward,” Góngora said in a statement.

“I look forward to an energetic and positive campaign, communicating with voters about my vision for our City’s future, improving our traffic and infrastructure, and bringing back residents into government decisions by listening to the people about what their city government must focus on to improve their quality of life.”

Why not run for mayor?

“My personal and professional commitments don’t allow me the increased time and expense to run for mayor again right now,” Góngora said.

“I also believe that once a new mayor is elected this November the de facto strong mayor position will also be a thing of the past and we will go back to a system where the mayor and commissioners have nearly equal authority with regard to governance as one more vote on the commission,” he said in a not so sideways stab at Levine’s style.

“I will be more effective as commissioner as the senior member of the commission with the most years of experience,” Góngora added.

“And Miami Beach needs my leadership now.”

UPDATED: For at least 20 years, the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club has provided a safe place in Miami Beach for civil political discourse on everything from city government projects and issues to county issues to developments of regional impact to state policies and legislation as well as an independent public forum for candidate debates in local elections.

But perhaps no more.

An email last week told us that Tuesday’s meeting would be the last because Manolo’s Restaurant, in which it is currently being held, will be partially demolished to make space for a new hotel addition at the rear of the property along the east side. Demolition along the south end of the 600 block is already taking place in the rear, according to an email from breakfast club creator David Kelsey.

“The development idea is that the very deep stores can give up their rear portions to accommodate a five story hotel or condo structure and still have ground floor retail along the front,” he wrote.

Read related story: Get breakfast and up to date on Miami Marine Stadium

And the breakfast club is just a casualty? This is one of the few equal opportunity, bipartisan, open and free public forums there are left. It has hosted not only politicians like Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, but activists like Peter Ehrlich and candidates for city, state and congressional office as well as city leaders like the police chief and city manager. Okay, so maybe it has served more as a bullhorn than a hot seat, but that’s it’s role. It would still be a shame to let it go.

Packed house at a Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club meeting at David’s Cafe for Levine’s first campaign in 2013

Ladra sent Kelsey a couple of emails to find out if there was any chance they could continue at another venue. After all, it used to be at David’s Cafe before it moved to Abuela’s Cuban Kitchen before it moved to Manolo’s. I mean, it couldn’t come at a worse time — as this year’s election of a new mayor (Levine announced already that he wasn’t running — for that seat, anyway) and three commissioners.

Kelsey, president of the South Beach Hotel and Restaurant Association, got back to me Monday morning, after this post was published. He said that the meetings have been moved six or seven times but that it’s not easy to find a new place. He looked at six other eateries that didn’t work before finding Manolo’s two years ago.

“If a restaurant already has any breakfast business, they don’t want it to be disrupted,” Kelsey said. “If they don’t have any breakfast business, and are open for lunch, they don’t want to bring in staff and pay them just for this group.”

Kelsey also said he would be open to continuing the meetings, but that more people need to show up.

“It’s very discouraging. We have not had good turnout in the last few weeks even though we have had good guests,” Kelsey told Ladra. “Let’s see what happens Tuesday. If there’s a lot of interest in keeping it, I’ll look for a new place.”

Read related story: Bruno Barreiro to speak at Beach Tuesday Breakfast Club

There are other fans who also want to keep the club it going.

“The Tuesday Morning BreakfastClub has always been a place for residents to voice their concerns and demand that government listen,” said former Commissioner Michael Gongora, who hopes they can find another new home. “It would be a shame not to have this group of activists listening and monitoring to what happens,” Gongora said, “especially now with an open Mayoral seat and Commission seats likely to follow.

“It’s time for the residents to have a voice at City Hall again,” he said, adding that he is reaching out to other restaurant owners to see if the club can be moved to another venue.

Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez noted how the club unified the community, even as others tried to divide it. “Whether you were rich or poor, Hispanic or Jewish, black, white or other, Dave Kelsey’s Breakfast Club welcomed everyone, and we must all be grateful to Dave Kelsey for that,” Rosen said.

“This is a loss for us all and represents the winding down of a certain generation of South Beach activists,” Rosen said. “Miami Beach is losing one of its critical political forums, and it breaks my heart to see it end.

“Someone needs to continue the tradition. It shouldn’t have to close.”

“Miami Beach United will continue its community efforts to keep the Breakfast Club spirit alive,” said Mark Samuelian, a former commission candidate and member of the MBU executive board who called the Tuesday morning meetings an “amazing and valuable Miami Beach institution.”

Ladra suspects that finding an alternate space to save the civic club and its meetings from oblivion will be the main topic of conversation at the last meeting this Tuesday at Manolo’s, 685 Washington Ave. Read: I sure hope so.

Everybody knows already that I am voting for Raquel Regalado for mayor of Miami-Dade. I’ve listed my reasons for years, because it’s really a referendum on Carlos Gimenez and the lousy job he has been doing and the climate of pay-to-play politics he has created, all documented here. Just do a search on Carlos Gimenez. Go back to 2012.

But Raquel is a good candidate in her own right. In six years on the school board, she has helped turn what was once a chaotic laughing stock — the fourth largest district in the country — into a national model. She has reformed the way they do business, from an overhaul of their bus maintenance to pioneering social media and tech policies. From construction to facilities to special education — where she has helped bring education into the 21st century — Raquel has had a hands on approach to her job as one of nine school board members in charge of a $3.2 billion budget and overseeing about 50,000 employees, twice as much as the county.

She has a lot of good ideas. Just check them out on her very well written website (ahem).

And we’ve never had a woman as Miami-Dade mayor and I’m excited about that.

But there are a lot of other important races on Tuesday’s ballot, too. And because people are constantly asking me who or how I’m voting, I decided to post my recommendations for this Aug. 30th. As a proud, card-carrying NPA, this at least gives me the chance to cast a ballot, however straw it may be, in races where I otherwise have no say.

I’m not weighing in on every race, just the ones where I feel I can. And where I care. And I may not always have such an articulate and/or valid reason as I do with the mayoral race. But here goes:

FOR U.S. SENATE

Republican Marco Rubio because I don’t have to have a valid reason. See? I told you. I may not agree with a lot of his positions on issues like climate change and gay marriage, but I like him. A lot. I think he’s real and authentic and he isn’t just telling me what I want to hear. I like his story. I like his family. I like his boots. I like the way he talks. His words move me and I’m jaded AF. Ask anyone. It helps that he grew up down the street — who doesn’t want to root for the home team — and that his mom and I worked at the same K-Mart in Westchester (but I don’t know if it was at the same time). Plus I think that he cannot negatively impact gay marriage, which is legal now, or sea level rise response, which is inevitable.

Democrat Pam Keith because Ladra is half rabblerouser, like her. And because everything she says makes sense. And because the other two guys get on my nerves. Someone please tell Congressman Patrick Murphy that he shouldn’t email me more than once a day.

FOR U.S. HOUSE

DISTRICT 26: Democrat Joe Garcia, because no matter how hard she tries people just don’t like Annette Taddeo — or maybe it’s that they don’t trust her — and I still think Garcia has a better chance of beating Carlos Curbelo in November. And if Carlos Curbelo, a liar and lobbyist with a secret client list, isn’t upset this year he’ll be there forever, like Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. And we can’t have that. Garcia isn’t always right. But, like Rubio, he’s a true believer. He really thinks he’s right. He’s not doing it for a proxy. And I’ll take a true believer who just happens to be wrong sometimes to a sinister liar trying to game the system any day. The former congressman might have been beaten two years ago by Curbelo, but that was in an off year.

Read related story: Awkward! Annette Taddeo, Joe Garcia face off with polite jabs

DISTRICT 27:

Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen because none of the others can hit the ground running. IRL is a legend who still has a little pull in D.C. With Republicans. With Democrats. She is a popular senior in high school. She is not a Freshman transplant. She will be able to do more.

Democrat Scott Fuhrman because it doesn’t really matter since nobody can beat Ileana, not even a Democrat in a Hillary year. Her gay cred with a transgeder son and her pro-Dreamer immigration stance makes her a crossover darling. But Fuhrman is fun to watch and might make a good elected — one day. So let’s give him the practice.

There’s more. Please press this “continue reading” button to “turn the page.”

Miami-Dade’s premiere LGBT rights group came out with new endorsements Friday — and snubbed two gay candidates in one race.

SAVE Dade endorsed former prosecutor Jason Pizzo for the state Senate race in District 38 over former North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns and former Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Góngora — both of whom are openly gay, both of whom have won Champion of Equality awards and both of whom are, needless to say, verklempft.

“My track record on SAVE Dade is perfect. I’ve passed more LGBT legislation than anyone,” Góngora said.

Said Burns: “To choose somebody who doesn’t have a record, who hasn’t done one single thing for this community, is definitely questionable.”

But a look at the campaign reports might provide the answer as to why Pizzo — whose endorsement is announced at the same time as the endorsement for immigration activist Francesca Menes for State House District 108 — was picked: Both Menes and Pizzo hired Christian Ulvert as their campaign manager.

Ulvert was chair of SAVE Dade’s executive board until he stepped down last year over concerns that he was mixing business with activism. Ulvert owns Edge Communications and works with several political candidates and referendums on local campaigns. He helped get Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and Miami-Dade Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava elected, worked for Dan Gelber’s campaign for Attorney General and is currently working on the Senate campaign for Jose Javier Rodriguez and the House run of Nick Duran. He may have resigned from the SAVE board in 2015, but he is a high profile Democrat (was recently political director for the Florida Democratic Party) who still influences SAVE behind the scenes. The executive director he hired is still there. His buddies are still on the board.

“I just don’t believe the process is a fair one,” Góngora said. “I believe it’s been tainted by money.”

Read related story: Michael Gongora, Jason Pizzo rack up endorsements for Senate

Ulvert did not return calls and ask for questions to be sent via email. He later responded that he had no involvement in the endorsement process.

SAVE Executive Director Tony Lima admitted that the fundraising was a key issue.

“The bottom line in that race is that Jason Pizzo has money and he’s viable. He’s viable and he has a solid plan,” Lima told Ladra. “Although Kevin Burns and Michael Gongora gave amazing interviews, Jason was the only candidate who had a plan to penetrate all the communities you need to get elected. The African-American community. The Haitian community… which is where I think Kevin and Michael fell short.

“We supported them in the past. But in such an important race where we need to make sure that Daphne Campbell is not elected, its important to make sure that we are supporting the most viable candidate that has the most viable plan,” Lima said.

But he said Ulvert, pictured here with President Bill Clinton, had absolutely no influence over the decision making in either endorsement. He said Menes was “another stellar story. She has a really good sense for what her constituency is made up of and what their needs are.”

Candidates are screened by a panel of constituents who make a recommendation to the endorsement panel who makes a recommendation to the board, Lima explained.

In a press release sent by the Pizzo campaign, SAVE Dade Director of Campaigns Justin Klecha said, “Our endorsement panelists from the community were duly impressed with Jason’s answers on issues of LGBTQ equality across the board. Jason is proudly running on a vision of a pro-equality future and support for pro-equality policies like the Florida Competitive Workforce Act.

But Góngora and Burns would, naturally, share that vision of pro-equality because they have lived it. And they both said that the SAVE Dade candidate screening committee did not ask questions about the issues. The panelists were more concerned about how much money the candidates would be able to raise, both men said.

Pizzo may be leading that contest with $400,000 he loaned to himself, but he’s only raised $35,500 compared to $77,000 raised by Góngora. That is a truer test of community support, no?

“I felt that the questions were stacked against us,” Góngora said. “They asked ‘Why would anyone in the minority communities vote for you?’”

Um, I don’t know. Maybe because he’s a Hispanic gay man who has fought discrimination for years.”

Added Burns: “It was definitely personality driven.”

Burns has been married to his partner for 21 years and they have a child they had to adopt in another state because of Florida’s ban on gay adoptions. He has testified in Tallahassee about having to establish a residency in Vermont so he could be a father. He was the first openly gay mayor of a large city in Florida and he added domestic partnership benefits for city employees. He also brought legislation that forced vendors with multi-million dollar city contracts to offer domestic partner benefits to their employees.

As a Miami Beach commissioner, Góngora appointed several LGBT members to city boards and committees, got domestic partnership benefits for city employees and sponsored revisions in the city charter to ensure LGBT protections, including transgender protections, were added to the human rights ordinance. He also worked with Equality Florida in sponsoring anti-bullying legislation in the state. He has worked closely with the Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the Aqua Foundation, Gay Pride Committee, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Equality Florida, SAVE Dade, Unity Coalition and the Trevor Project, the only 24/7 suicide hotline for LGBT youth.

“The fact that they didn’t find Michael or I worthy of their endorsement after the years of advocacy and promoting these issues that we’ve put in is disappointing to say the least,” Burns said.

“I live our issues every day and they decided to support someone who doesn’t even vote,” he added, referring to Pizzo’s voting record. The Miami Herald reported last month that Pizzo, who became a Democrat in April, had not voted since 2008 — skipping 17 elections.

Members of the LGBT community were also somewhat surprised and/or (if they know about Ulvert’s connections) disgusted with the snub.

“I’m both perplexed and upset. It’s shocking,” said Jackie Lalonde, a longtime donor and fund raiser. “It’s shocking.

She said she called SAVE Dade leaders for an explanation. “And I am getting the lamest rationale. They said Pizzo has a better game plan. That’s not a legitimate reason. It’s not that he’s a bad person. I don’t know him and that’s the point. He’s done nothing for our community.

“They should be making a recommendation for someone who has a long history of work and advocacy for the LGBT community,” said Lalonde, a Góngora supporter. “Michael has worked for decades not just for LGBT causes but for all in the community.”

She believes that Pizzo, who is apparently wealthy and has loaned $400,000 to his campaign for a $30,000-a-year job, gave a sizable donation to the non-profit organization.

“I do believe Michael will win in the end, but it is so discomforting as a gay member of this community to be back-stabbed and have it sell out for a political contribution,” Lalonde said.

“It makes me want to throw up.”

Former Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Góngora keeps racking up those endorsements in his bid to become the next Florida Senator in District 38.

But so is some young gun attorney named Jason Pizzo who nobody ever heard of before.

It’s natural that Góngora would get his ex colleagues on the dais to join his team: Former Miami Beach Commissioners Ed Tobin and Deede Weithorn and former Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower were the first to jump aboard. They were joined by current Commissioners Michael Grieco and Kristen Rosen Gonzalez.

Read related story: Michael Gongora wants senate seat left by La Gwen Margolis

The latest are endorsements from Miami Commissioner Ken Russel and Biscayne Neighborhoods Association President Andres Althabe, who are hosting an event for Góngora on Tuesday at the Charter Club Condominium Association. They are pictured here with the candidate at a past legislative update at Miami-Dade College.

“I am thrilled to have the support of these two leaders who always put the residents first,” Góngora said in a statement. “We have worked together on quality of life issues in the Biscayne Neighborhoods Association including traffic issues, better roads, quality education and better condominium association laws.”

It would be weird for Althabe to support anyone else in the race to replace Sen. Gwen Margolis: Góngora serves as the pro bono community association attorney for the Biscayne Neighborhoods Association.

“I have worked very closely with Michael for the past two years as the attorney for Biscayne Neighborhoods Association,” Althabe said. “He is ethical, honest, smart and someone I know will represent us well in Tallahassee.”  

But this is Russell’s first endorsement as an elected official.  

“I first met Michael when I was running for office as City of Miami Commissioner,” said Russell, who won his seat last year against the better financed Mrs. Teresa Sarnoff, wife of termed-out commissioner Marc Sarnoff. “He has a firm grasp of the issues impacting residents throughout our community and I have confidence in his abilities to produce results which will positively impact our quality of life.”

Weithorn, similarly, said his experience makes Góngora the best choice: “Michael understands government at all levels and will be effective in bringing home funds from Tallahassee to undertake needed traffic and flooding solutions throughout Miami-Dade County.  Additionally, he will continue the fight for Israel in Tallahassee with the new Anti BDS law and divestiture laws.  We need a leader that is sensitive to all issues impacting the diverse community.”

The newly-drawn District 38 runs roughly from Miami Beach to Aventura and from the ocean to I-95, including all of the Biscayne Corridor of Miami through the Upper East Side. There are six other candidates, including State Rep. Daphne Campbell, and Góngora threw his hat in after Margolis withdrew in the wake of some regrettable comments. Again.

He immediately became the front runner.

But this Pizzo person is certainly giving him chase.

Jason Pizzo, a former Miami-Dade prosecutor who has loaned himself $400,000 for this contest, has the endorsements of State Rep. Barbara Watson, Aventura Mayor Enid Weisman, Sunny Isles Beach Vice Mayor Jeannette Gatto, Sunny Isles Commissioners Jennifer Levin, Isaac Aelion and Dana Goldman, Surfside Vice Mayor Michael Karukin and Surfside Commissioner Daniel Gielchinsky.

As if that was something to sneeze at, he’s also got the AFSCME union and several black pastors and community leaders.

But it’s not over yet. There are plenty of political endorsements left to be made.

Maybe Campbell can get Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine.

Former Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Gongora is running for the Florida Senate.

Góngora plans to qualify Friday to run in District 38 in the seat left open by the sudden, under-pressure retirement of Sen. Gwen Margolis.

The condo law attorney has stayed active after losing the mayoral race in 2014 to Philip Levine — who must be eating his heart out (everybody knows Mayor Ego wants to run for either senate or gov). Góngora sends a monthly email blast and in March urged his followers to vote no on the convention center hotel. He also supported the election of Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez last year.

In December, he was elected president of the Miami Beach Bar Association and created a pro bono law clinic.

And, even though six other candidates have been campaigning for weeks, at least (and five of those have qualified), Góngora  sort of goes into it as an immediate front-runner and de facto incumbent. Sure, State Rep. Daphne Campbell might also be considered incumbent-like, but she just went to No. 2 in this race, where the best candidate wins in August with a majority of the vote, even if that is 21%.

Góngora  also has something that no other candidate in the race has — local government experience in a district that has 15 municipalities from Aventura to Miami.

“I understand what local governments want and I understand the frustration with state government,” Góngora told Ladra. “I’ve been there and I’m the most qualified of the candidates.”

With condo associations under investigation for election fraud and residents calling on Tallahassee to have some kind of reform, Góngora could be an experienced voice on the issue. He told Ladra on Tuesday that he was also passionate about gun control, education and “bringing back the dollars.

“Our coastal communities give a lot of money to Tallahassee and it’s dreadful how little state funding we get back for things like flood mitigation,” Góngora  said.

Read related story: Will La Gwen’s retreat cause more musical chairs?

Góngora was a city commissioner in Miami Beach for two terms, from 2006 to 2013 and got Margolis’ endorsement both times, as well as for mayor in 2014. While she may wait before she gives her nod, chances are La Gwen — who is certainly not about to endorse any of the Haitians she disparaged, which forced her retirement announcement — will give Góngora her blessing.

The candidate released this statement:

“As your senator for District 38, I will work even harder and be more effective than as a private citizen or community leader.  It is not enough to keep raising vital issues to those currently in office, challenging them to fix broken systems and rethink ineffective policy. I will lead the charge for sensible, achievable victories in alleviating traffic and flooding, restoring quality and affordable education, and increasing jobs paying decent wages.  I will hit the ground running to keep Floridians safe and to implement achievable solutions to obstacles currently impeding Floridians from fulfilling their American Dream.  Our community and our State crave action not rhetoric and I vow to use my knowledge and experience to serve you effectively and with integrity.”