She’s been known as the body bag commissioner because she once threatened a colleague with those words in a late night, early morning budget hearing.  But on Tuesday — er, I mean, on “Honorable Natacha Seijas Day” — the former Hialeah commissioner who was ousted in an ugly and historic recall in 2011, was re-christened The Mother of the Living Wage.

That’s because Seijas was the one who brought us the living wage ordinance in 1999. And on Tuesday, after years of appeals were exhausted with a Supreme Court decision to let the ordinance stand, Seijas was honored for having the foresight.

The kudos was sponsored by her best friend, Commissioner Barbara Jordan, but everybody joined in for the congratulations afterwards, even Commissioner Esteban Bovo, who was way too eager to take over her district and has not been, shall we say, exactly the prodigal son.

Read related story: Budget breakfast for Bovo and Seijas

Well, everybody but Mayor Carlos Gimenez. He was conspicuously absent and Seijas openly inferred no surprise. There is no love lost there.

But everybody else had a kind word.

“This legislation was really a watershed moment in this community,” said Commissioner Dennis Moss.

“Every once in a while, we get the opportunity to do something that is truly remarkable and changes the lives of individuals and makes their lives greater than what it was before,” Jordan said, while Seijas continued to greet people from her past.

“And she is still talking as she used to do on the dais,” Jordan said.

Among those people she was greeting, Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, who was the co-sponsor of the pioneer 1999 legislation.

“As we used to do here when we served together, I am going to yield the floor to my good friend,” the Flagship DLP said.

“He does that only because I walked out on him one time and he didn’t have a quorum. So we became good friends after that,” Seijas quipped back.

“I always thought I would be always known for the body bag [comment],” she said. “Now, I’m known for something that really, really, really makes anybody feel happy and content and fulfilled.”

Read related story: Natacha Seijas — From ousted official to kids’ author

Diaz de la Portilla, who served as a county commissioner from 1993 to 2000, said that while the law passed unanimously on May 11 some 17 years ago, it was a battle to get there. “There was a lot of opposition. Opposition from vendors who did business with the county … but with the support of the labor unions, with the wonderful support of the attorneys office, with the support really of an entire community of working of the people who only wanted to provide for their families decently we were able to build the momentum to get a unanimous vote.”

He also thanked the FIU Labor Center, the Human Services Coalition and the local League of Women Voters for working with the county to make the Miami-Dade living wage ordinance a reality. It requires companies that have contracts with the county to pay their workers higher than the minimum wage (right now it’s at $12.63 an hour if health benefits are offered and $14.56 an hour without them).

Seijas said that it was fulfilling to get the votes and pass the law, but that people like SEIU Florida President Monica Russo were the ones who “work and make it happen.”

Russo called Seijas a brave and courageous leader.

“She taught me in the trenches of Hialeah the meaning of community, the meaning of having those one on one conversations every single day with her constituents, listening, not just talking at but really listening,”Russo said. “For being a fighter for her neighbors, for her constituents… It had nothing to do with party affiliation. It was all about investing in and empowering the community.

“She has been a great and incredible mentor for me,” Russo said.

Commission Chairman Jean Monestime thanked her for her leadership but said there was still work to be done. “Working people still need a lot of help.”

It was the second time that Seijas has been back in commission chambers since she was ousted, the first being when Monestime was sworn in as chairman.

“I have no desire to go for nonsense,” she later told Ladra. “But something that makes a difference, yes.”

And Tuesday? “It was a very nice moment.”

Despite having Democratic opponents in a Hillary presidential year, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Florida are endorsing two Republican incumbents in this year’s election: Sens. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla and Anitere Flores.

They’ve also endorsed Sen. Rene Garcia, but that’s different. Garcia has no opponent. Miguel DLP and Flores, however, are running in hotly contested districts against challengers supported by the Florida Democratic Party in a rush to win seats this year.

And the three GOP senators are the only Republicans AFSCME endorses in a sea of Democrats.

AFSCME is Florida’s fastest growing union, which is part of a 1.6 million member union that advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and prosperity and opportunity for all working families. And like most unions, it typically backs the blue ticket.

But they have broken from the trend for these three.

Why?

“Our wages, benefits, working conditions, health and safety, and even whether we have jobs at all, are in the hands of officials who influence our future,” said Willie Pouncy Jr., AFSCME Florida Region 3 PEOPLE Chair. “After reviewing where Senator Flores stands on the issues important to our state and to the members who live or work in her district, we believe she is the best choice in 2016 for our families, our communities and those we serve.”

And they are not alone. In the case of Flores, who helped kill a law that would have scrapped the county’s wage-theft protection program, she also has the endorsement of the Florida Professional Firefighters Association and every elected official in Homestead, all but one Democrats. Diaz de la Portilla regularly enjoys the support of police and firefighter unions.

“I have a proven track record of effectively fighting for working men and women in our community,” the eldest of the DLP brothers told Ladra.

Said Flores: “During my time in office, I have advocated for a stronger economy, raising incomes and more affordable healthcare benefits for hardworking families— matters important to all Floridians.”

So who is Andrew Korge, who is running against Flores, and State Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez, who is running against DLP going to get?

Even though the challenge was looming, we knew it was coming for sure when Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla (R-Coral Gables) and State Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez (D-Little Havana) were invited as guests to speak about the just-ended legislative session on WPLG’s This Week in South Florida — and it turned into sort of a debate.

Especially when Rodriguez made a point to respond to something the senior DLP said. “If I can touch on the gun bills, just very briefly,” J-Rod was quick to say. Then DLP responded to J-Rod’s response.

Where have we heard that kind of back and forth before? Oh yeah: At debates.

Ladra called it a showdown preview on Twitter. Yes, watchdogs tweet (find me at @newschica). And I was right: A day later, J-Rod — who had already said he was thinking about it — officially announced last week he was running for Senate against the three-term incumbent, possibly providing us with the second big partisan showdown in the county (the first being the congressional race rematch between U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R) and former Congressman Joe Garcia (D), who Ladra predicts will win the primary against what’s her name).

Keyword: Possibly.

Because Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, “the flagship” of the political brothers, is seen as the most reasonable and moderate of the DLP clan. He is not the typical Republican sheep. As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee refused to hear several ugly immigration bills and the the three open carry gun laws in the legislature this year, effectively killing them all (like he did last year), becoming an NRA target (they sent letters and emails to donors, attacking him).

He went against his own party “because I’m a free thinker,” he told Ladra. “I learned that from my grandfather. You have to listen to everyone. But when it comes time to make a decision, you have to make a decision on its merits.”

He has consistently been an advocate for public labor, who love him. He’s been a defender of education. Teachers love him. When he was a Miami-Dade Commissioner, he created the two thirds majority needed to move the UDB line and impact fee monies for schools from developers. This year, he secured $2 million in state funds for the proposed Underline linear park under the Metrorail tracks. Environmentalists love him, too.

Where is J-Rod going to get his votes?

A shining star who rose to public office from the ranks of public legal service, speaking on behalf of the most disenfranchised for years, Rodriguez could be disappointed with the amount of party crossover he might see in this race. I’m not the only one who likes both of them. A bunch of bilateral supporters are going to be hard pressed to pick between the two.

While he hasn’t passed anything important and most of his sponsored bills die in committee or fail (he is in the minority, after all), he did help stop what he deemed bad legislation at the finance and tax committee,  helped steer $286 million more into education funding and has championed the cause of hundreds of students left in limbo when Dade Medical College closed its doors abruptly last year. He also has a knack for social media, bringing attention to blue party issues like public transportation and minimum wage, off which he lived for a week, sharing his experiences on twitter. He was also one of the first to denounce the proposed bed tax giveaway to the Miami Dolphins in 2013 (God bless him).

“I know what my campaign is going to look like. I’m going to work very hard to let the voters know that I’ve been working for them already,” Rodriguez told Ladra.

So, despite DLP’s hefty experience or any perceived advantage Rodriguez may have on a presidential year in a district that gave Obama a seven-point lead in 2012, this is not going to be a cakewalk for either of them.

“Obama is not on the ballot,” Diaz de la Portilla told Ladra. And while many political observers do credit J-Rod’s initial win against his opponent’s brother, former Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, to that presidential wave,  J-Rod also defended himself quite well against Daniel Diaz-Leyva and the weight of the Republican Party in 2014.

Read related story: Jose Javier Rodriguez hangs on despite Danny Boy’s dough

And that was against half a million dollars.

No, this isn’t payback. J-Rod doesn’t seem the type to hold a grudge. After all, he serves as vice chair of the Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation, where Danny Boy’s political godfather, State Rep. Jose Felix Diaz (R-Kendall), is chair.

Redistricting, Rodriguez said, gave him an opportunity to have more impact.

“I can accomplish more in the Senate. It’s a more collegiate body. There’s a lot more I could do,” he said.

DLP says he can do more for the constituents as a member of the majority that can garner bipartisan support for his measures. He passed a bill with unanimous support this year that expands the court’s authority to use mental health and substance abuse programs for youth offenders and veterans.

Ladra isn’t happy about this match, because she likes both candidates and thinks they are both worthy public servants. And it’s not like we have a lot of those just lying around.

And I’m not alone. Like I said, these two share supporters who are now going too have to choose — and it’s not a fun thing to do.

It’s too bad one of them doesn’t run against some of the real lame-os in Tallahassee, and there are plenty of those. But unlike some people (read: Frank Artiles) neither of these guys will lie about where they live to run for office.

So the only thing left to do is look forward to the next, the real debate — with both excitement and trepidation.