Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Grieco, who is running for mayor this year, may not have an opponent yet. But he’s already the target of negative attacks trying to link him to a new shady PAC collecting big donations from people or companies with interests in the city.

Whoever sent the email Tuesday that makes Grieco look like he’s bought and paid for — and we don’t know who it was because there was no disclaimer — also made it look like it came from the commissioner himself. Cute.

“I’m often asked, why on Earth would you run for office? The answer is pretty simple actually. There’s a nice dollar to be made off of the people’s back,” the email starts, underneath a postcard painting Grieco as a celebrity attorney because he may have represented Justin Bieber for five seconds.

“Sometimes ‘keeping celebs outta jail’ just doesn’t cut it. As long as you set up a secret Political Action Committee, anyone can run for office successfully. Luckily, I’m here to share my secrets with you.”

The email goes on to have Grieco proudly claim he has raised more than $190,000 “to finance a dirty campaign for mayor” through a political action committee, People for Better Leaders. “If you thought Philip Levine‘s all-time dirty Relentless for Progress PAC was good, wait until you check out my financials,” it says providing a screen shot of the PAC’s contributions, listing multiple vendors and contractors with business interests in the Beach and/or items before the commission.

The email is signed Michael “Grafty” Grieco. Told you it was cute. But is it truthful? It certainly isn’t transparent.

“Fake news and alternative facts,” said Grieco, who told Ladra that he had nothing to do with the PAC and did not know who was running it.

Documents filed with the Division of Florida Elections say that somebody named Brian George is the chairman and un fulano tal Brian Abraham is the treasurer. But the telephone number listed with filing documents was not accepting calls Tuesday. Sure, some of the donors match Grieco’s campaign donors, as the email suggests. But they also match donors for other candidates in the past and for Levine’s shady PAC, which he shared with former Commissioner Jonah Wolfson.

“I am not actively raising soft money,” Grieco told Ladra, referring to the term used for PAC contributions, which have “softer” rules about ethical campaigning. Grieco added that he was “strictly raising hard money” and would report “well in excess of $300,000” in next month’s report. He already has $234,000 in his campaign account.

City rules prohibit Grieco from getting campaign contributions from contractors or vendors who do business with the city or want to. PACs provide a loophole, but new county rules require candidates to disclose if they are soliciting funds for a political action committee. Grieco says he doesn’t have a PAC but, if he opens one, it will have his name on it. While he has donations from people who own businesses on Ocean Drive, he says they gave to him despite him having voted against their interests — voting to eliminate the “to-go” cups and ban alcohol sales past 2 a.m. — because they believe in his leadership.

“I will continue to raise money openly and cleanly,” said Grieco, who spent Tuesday morning talking to about 200 people at his own breakfast meeting.

If people want to send cowardly, misleading emails with fake news and alternative facts, they will. There’s a list of powerful people who don’t want me to be mayor.”

On that list, one might find Mayor Levine — who has been pissed at Grieco since the latter came out against the storm water increases and then the Cuban embassy — and Wolfson, who just hates everybody, and Commissioner Ricky Arriola, who wanted to run for mayor until a poll told him Grieco would devour him whole. The PAC could belong to one of them. It could belong to someone else. It could be anyone’s really. It doesn’t have to be Grieco’s or an opponent’s. It could be anyone who wants to hurt the commissioner’s chances in November (see names above).

In fact, that attack email could have been sent and paid for by People for Better Leaders, for all we know. Or any one of the six — count ’em, six! — committees listed on the city’s website for this election.

Ladra is certain we haven’t seen the last anonymous assault.

Commissioner Michael Grieco was the first to file paperwork last week to run for the top dog seat after Mayor Philip Levine said he would not be seeking re-election. But you can bet he won’t be the last now that there’s no millionaire incumbent.

Already there have been reports that former State Rep. and Senator Dan Gelber, who ran for Attorney General and lost to Trumpette Pam Bondi in 2010, may be interested in the job. Gelber, who is the son of two-time mayor Seymore Gelber, has gotten a bunch of calls urging him to consider it and he is doing just that, said his political consultant Chrisitan Ulvert, who also happens to be Levine’s political consultant.

Does this mean that Gelber is Levine’s hand-picked successor instead of Commissioner Ricky Arriola?

Many on the’s beach have speculated that Levine would run and fund an Arriola bid for mayor. And Arriola was reportedly pit against Grieco in a telephone poll done weeks ago in which voters were asked who they would choose in a head to head if the election were today.

Read related story: Philip Levine ‘parks’ his train after poll — but only for now

This is the same poll in which they were asked multiple questions about the train to nowhere — Levine’s “loopy loop” innercity light rail — which was suspended shortly after, most likely because it bombed.

Did Arriola bomb too?

Sure, there’s plenty of time to think about it. Qualifying isn’t until the first week of September. And Arriola can work on his profile between now and then. But he will likely stay put. Because this being an open seat now opens it up to a lot of more truly viable candidates, including former commissioners Michael Gongora, who lost to Levine in 2013, and Deede Weithorn, who didn’t dare run against him and his money but lost a bid for state rep last year. And Ladra is sure there is a political consultant or campaign guru looking for a young Latina or hombre to run. Because that’s all Arriola has got going for him. 

Grieco has reportedly been considering this mayoral run since last year, when Levine invited Raul and Fidel Castro to open a Cuban governmnt consular office in Miami Beach. Grieco was aghast and blasted Levine for it. He has also been openly against the train. And he believes he can do more to guide the city as mayor.

Levine had sold him out even earlier, when he lashed out at Grieco for voting against an 84% increase in storm water fees in 2014.

Read related story: Miami Beach break-up — Philip Levine and Michael Grieco

He has been fundraising as a commission candidate, for his re-election, and has almost all his $234,000 that he’ll be able to transfer to a mayoral account because we’re sure his donors won’t mind. Grieco also has at least two more fundraisers in the near future. Jay Parker, Steve Temes, Jordan Levy, Stephen Worth, Evan and Rustin Kluge, Brian Sidman and Keith Marks are hosting what Ladra believes is his first fundraiser for the mayor’s run this Thursday at South Pointe Tavern. There will be another fundraiser Jan. 28 at the home of Eduardo Hepp and Randy Bullard.

Candidate Grieco will also have a press breakfast and resident Q&A next Tuesday, Jan. 24, at Cafe Avanti on 41st Street.