Is it our birthday? Did Christmas come early? What did we do to deserve this gift from God?
After four decades of drama, lawsuits, late-night stalking and public tirades that made Miami politics look like a telenovela written by Kafka, City Commissioner Joe Carollo, who just placed fourth in the mayoral race Tuesday and missed the runoff, says he’s finally retiring from elected office. He’s going to his long-awaited Shangri-la — whatever form that takes for him.
Yes, that Joe Carollo. Crazy Joe. The man who sued the police union, feuded with his own city manager, and cost taxpayers $63 million for what a jury called political retaliation. The man who’s been haunting City Hall longer than the asbestos.
“It’s the first day of my life. My future life,” Carollo told the Miami Herald the morning after finishing with just over 11% in a field of 13 candidates. Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins and former City Manager Emilio González — who Carollo basically forced to resign in January of 2020 — made the runoff.
“I’m 70 years old. I’m not going to be doing this again,” Carollo told the city’s daily.
Ladra doesn’t usually cry tears of joy, but today she got close.
It’s the end of an era — or maybe the end of an error. Carollo, Miami’s favorite chaos agent, was first elected in 1979, back when Miami Vice wasn’t even on TV yet. He went from commissioner to mayor in the ’90s, got booted out in 2001, and then, like a bad sequel, returned in 2017 to “save” the city again. Over the years, he’s been the protagonist, the villain, and the comic relief — often all at once.
Read related: Commissioner Joe Carollo: Miami’s favorite chaos agent runs for mayor
And now, after losing the mayoral race to Higgins and González — who head to a December 9 runoff — he says he’s done. For reals this time.
“I’m not going to run for office,” he told the paper, “but I’m going to be involved in different ways at different levels.”
Translation: don’t exhale just yet.
Because if there’s one thing Joe Carollo loves more than microphones, it’s revenge. And he’s still got a few commission meetings left before he packs up his paranoia and his parking pass. Plus, his little brother Frank is in a December runoff for Joe’s District 3 seat against Rolando Escalona — the Sexy Fish guy. So there’s still time for a little more family drama before the final curtain.
He may also still have a stash of cash in his political action committee, Miami First, raised almost $1.4 million just this year through Sept. 30. Sure, some of it was spent on the special D4 race getting Ralph Rosado elected. But as of the end of the third quarter, he still had about $820,000. It’s unlikely he spent it all on his terrible mayoral campaign — even though he sent out mailers practically every day to attack Gonzalez — but he could be providing himself with kickbacks for advertising or paying himself for data.
It’s still likely he will stay involved in trying to control things from the outside. He’s 70, but he still has a lot of fire in his belly. Ladra wonders if he’ll go back to the morning radio show he did on AmericaRadio before the campaign. You know, the one he used to attack his political enemies and other foes, real or imagined.
Read related: Commissioner Joe Carollo freelances as ‘Miami Al Dia’ morning AM radio host
Carollo surprisingly answered the phone when Ladra called, but he kept interrupting with questions about my marriage, suggesting that my ex husband was a Cuban spy and making other comments about my love life that are really inappropriate and show the kind of person he is, while someone laughed in the background. They sounded drunk, but Ladra doesn’t know if Joe drinks. He said he had all kinds of information on me, like that’s frightening or something. I’m an open book.
But let’s take a moment to savor this historic Miami miracle anyway. After decades of blaming everyone else — from the media to chavista money laundering and other imaginary conspiracies — Joe Carollo finally told the Herald the words everyone has wanted to hear: “You can’t blame me for anything anymore.”
Oh, Joe. Somehow, Ladra is certain that we can. You are still to blame for the millions in legal fees that the taxpayers have spent to defend the indefensible. You are still to blame for the countless of lives you altered with your streak for revenge. And you are still to blame for creating a culture of fear from weaponized government.
And, let’s face it, we’re all afraid you’re not really done.
But if it’s true, if this really is your swan song… then all Ladra can say is hallelujah and pass the cafecito.
Because after 46 years, Miami might finally get a break from the chaos — and a little peace at City Hall.

You can help produce more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and campaigns with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

The post Could it be true? Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo says he’s done with politics appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner can keep his corner office at City Hall — but he almost lost it. Miami Beach voters re-elected him Tuesday night by a thin margin, giving him about 51% of the vote over Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who came within striking distance at 49%.
It was a squeaker at a 357-vote difference. That means that if 170 of those votes had flipped, it would have tipped it the other way. And for a guy who’s been touting “cleaning up spring break” and “reducing crime by almost 20%,” that’s hardly the landslide mandate he was hoping for.
“You saw the work that we did the last two years,” Meiner told supporters after his win. “We cleaned up spring break, we reduced crime almost 20%, our homeless count is almost one of the lowest.”
Almost one of the lowest? Is that because homeless persons accounted for 42% of all arrests in Miami Beach in 2024, reaching 53% of all arrests in February of this year?
That is one seriously villainous victory lap, but anyone who’s walked down Ocean Drive after midnight might wonder what measuring stick Meiner is using. Sure, things have been tamer since the city cracked down on spring break crowds — but that came with curfews, roadblocks, revenue losses and lawsuits. Not exactly business-friendly beach vibes.
Read related: Keon Hardemon blasts Miami Beach’s “Draconian” Spring Break measures
Still, Meiner’s pitch to voters worked just enough: keep the peace, keep the cops, and keep the party contained. And apparently, enough residents preferred that over starting from scratch.
Across town, Rosen Gonzalez — the college professor and self-styled reformer who once called herself “the most honest person in Miami Beach politics” (which, honestly, might be true) — thanked supporters and congratulated Meiner for the win.
“We put our heart and soul into this campaign and I couldn’t see us working harder,” she said. “So I’d like to congratulate Steven Meiner. He ran a great race too, and it was hard going up against an incumbent.”
Rosen Gonzalez was endorsed by The Miami Herald, SAVE, several labor unions and local Democrats. She ran on restoring civility and refocusing City Hall on “the economy, water quality, and transit,” instead of the constant personality clashes that have made Miami Beach politics its own reality show. She also wasn’t shy about calling out Meiner’s narrative on public safety, pointing out that while overall crime may be down, violent offenses are up — and residents still don’t feel as safe as the mayor’s talking points claim.
Read related: Kristen 3.0? Miami Beach firebrand commissioner vs Mayor Steve Meiner
“We focused this campaign on issues that really impact people — public safety, the environment, the economy,” a downbeat Rosen Gonzalez told Political Cortadito Wednesday morning as she second guessed herself and thought about things she didn’t do. “What we didn’t do was talk about the hyper partisan part of it.”
While this race was technically nonpartisan — which is so cute to say nowadays — local Democrats did support Rosen Gonzalez and painted Meiner as an out-of-touch conservative not in line with the Beach values.
They reminded voters about Meiner’s proposal to terminate O Cinema’s lease and pull funding because it screened the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” which covers Palestinian displacement in the West Bank. He called the film “one-sided propaganda … not consistent with the values of our City and resident.” The issue raised real questions about censorship, artistic freedom, city support of arts institutions, and the politics of referencing the Israel/Palestine conflict in local government, which seems to be a recurring theme, and triggered strong backlash from artists, free-speech advocates (including the ACLU), the filmmakers, and local residents. So much so that the commission voted 5-2 against it and Meiner withdrew the proposal.
The Democratic Party also told voters about the lingering, unanswered questions about Meiner’s sudden resignation from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Miami office, where he was an enforcement attorney since 2007, after three former employees alleged he made unwelcome sexual advances or displayed other inappropriate behavior while at the agency. One intern claimed he tried to kiss her. The SEC’s national human‐resources team reportedly began interviewing current and former colleagues in the Miami office about Meiner’s conduct. Meiner, who was elected mayor shortly after the allegations surfaced, responded by denying the allegations, and suggested the claims may have been motivated by anti-Israel or antisemitic bias.
Because of course he did.
Read related: Miami Beach mayor wants more ‘decorum’ among city officials, residents
But none of those reminders worked. And Meiner, who already had the ultra religious and orthodox vote, got the MAGA vote behind him at the end. Rosen Gonzalez was winning with the absentee or mail-in ballots by 137 votes, and Meiner caught up during early voting and on Election Day.
So what does this nail-biter mean? Meiner keeps his job, but not by much — and with nearly half the city voting for change, he can’t exactly pretend it’s smooth sailing.
His win was arguably more about fear of chaos than faith in leadership. And if Rosen Gonzalez managed to come that close against an incumbent with the police union, the business crowd, and the “no more spring break madness” brigade behind him, that says something.
Miami Beach voters may have stuck with Meiner this time, but they sent a message too: no more strongman politics disguised as public safety.
Ladra’s guess? The mayor might have kept the beach under control — but keeping the commission in line for another two years is going to be the real wild ride. And it might hinge on who wins the runoff in the commission Group 1 seat (more on that later).
As for the termed out Rosen Gonzalez, you can bet she won’t let the momentum of her coalition go to waste, She plans on continuing to contribute in some way — and Ladra predicts she wil try again.

You can help produce more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and campaigns with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

The post Incumbent Mayor Steve Meiner holds on in Miami Beach — but just barely appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Miami voters didn’t give anyone the keys to City Hall Tuesday night, but they did serve up a spicy little runoff, as expected, between Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins and former City Manager Emilio González — two candidates who couldn’t be more different, except for the fact that they both promise to end chaos in a city that runs on it.
But the best news that everyone was celebrating into Wednesday morning: Neither Commissioner Joe Carollo nor former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla got anywhere close to the runoff, with ADLP scoring single digits.
With all precincts counted — and results delayed for about 30 minutes later than usual (more on that later) — Higgins came in first with nearly 36%, almost double what González pulled with just over 19% in a 13-candidate free-for-all.
And in true Miami fashion, both claimed victory anyway.
Read related: Poll has Eileen Higgins in Miami mayoral runoff with Emilio González
At her election night party — a chic penthouse bar at the Yotel, naturally — Higgins walked out to cheers and hugs from her fellow Democrat, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava,  and they raised their hands together like they’d just won the tag-team championship. Earlier in the day, La Alcaldesa had called Higgins “the yin to my yang.”
Before the crowd, Higgins was ebullient. “We’re done with dysfunction,” she said. “We’re done with chaos.”
Ladra almost spit out her café. Done with dysfunction? In Miami? Okay, querida. Maybe she should have said, “We’re going to put the fun back in dysfunction.”
But the crowd loved it, and Higgins doubled down in Spanish as the TV cameras rolled. She’s aiming to become the city’s first female and first non-Hispanic mayor in… well, in a very long time, and she knows exactly who she’s up against: a Cuban American former general who once ran the airport.
Oh, and someone she used to work with. Because in Miami, everyone has worked with everyone.
In a statement, Higgins said it was a team effort and celebrated what she said was a new day for Miami.
“The people of Miami made history. Together, we turned the page on years of chaos and corruption and opened the door to a new era for our city — one defined by ethical, accountable leadership that delivers real results for the people,” she said.
“This victory belongs to every resident who knocked on doors, gathered petitions, made phone calls, and believed that integrity and hard work could triumph over politics as usual. Together, we built something extraordinary: a movement powered not by insiders or special interests, but by Miamians who love their city and demanded better.
“Tonight, we celebrate not just a victory, but a new beginning for Miami — a city that belongs to all of us, and a future we will build together.”
Meanwhile, over in Little Havana, Emilio González was basking in the glow of the neon sign at Hoy Como Ayer, taking selfies and telling anyone who would listen that the voters were hungry for “something new.”
Read related: Emilio Gonzalez will ‘clean up’ Miami — but he was there when it got dirty
“I worked very hard for this. My team worked very hard for this,” Gonzalez told The Miami Herald. “But more than anything else, the residents of the city of Miami have spoken. They want to see something different, they want to see something new, they want a new direction for the city. And I’m honored that I’ve been selected by them to take this a step further, and on December the 9th, let’s do this again.”
Emilio is running on being the outsider — which is rich, considering the man literally ran the city not that long ago.
But hey, this is Miami. Up is down, down is up, and everyone is the reform candidate.
“I’m not a career politician,” Emilio insisted. “She is.”
Higgins was quick to shoot that right back.
“The era of chaos happened when he was city manager,” she told the Miami Herald. “We already know what Emilio would do as mayor.”
Shots fired. Buckle up, Miami. December 9 is going to be spicy.
Poor Ken Russell. Mr. Paddleboard finished a respectable third place with about 18% — just over 700 votes under Gonzalez and not enough to keep the dream alive. The former Miami commissioner, who resigned in 2022 to run for Congress, closed the gap in recent weeks, particularly after the first debate, where he took his gloves off and people saw a new Ken. But maybe it was too late.

Still, his crowd at Sandbar Sports Grill looked like they were watching a Heat playoff game, not a concession speech. Russell kept it upbeat, talking about hope and reform and the fact that, mercifully, Miami voters left Carollo and Díaz de la Portilla near the bottom of the pack, where they belong.
“People want change,” he said. “They are not putting up with yesterday.”
Honestly, that line alone probably helps Higgins more than his endorsement ever could.
In a somber post-election video posted to Instagram, Russell said he just didn’t have the resources to get his message across. “Id didn’t happen guys. Did not happen. Miami went another way,” he said, between sighs. “That’s the problem with being an underdog. Sometimes they come out under.
“There was the establishment Democrat, the hardcore MAGA Republican and me in third, and I lost by 700 votes,” he said. “It really breaks my heart because there was a lot of people gathering hope for Miami, and that’s not easy.”
Read related: Ken Russell wants another shot at Miami City Hall — as mayor this time
But he also said it was not all bad news:
“There is something to be happy about, because we built something that created a movement of people that were excited for reform, that they’re sick of the dynasties, they’re sick of the corruption, and all three of the dynasty candidates ended up in the bottom,” he said, referring also to former Miami Mayor and former county commissioner Xavier Suarez, who came in sixth after Carollo and ADLP.
“We did harness a big movement for reform, and people were really sick of this, and they showed up,” he said. “The top three candidates were all the reform candidates and the bottom three candidates were all the dynasties of yesterday, and they all lost hard.”
Wednesday morning, he woke up a bit happier. “Underdogs don’t lose. We just continue to be underdogs,” he posted.
“For everyone who woke up to hold their government accountable yesterday, don’t give up hope or withdraw from action. Love your friends, fight for what’s right, stand up for freedom, and resist oppression. Thank you for believing in a better Miami. We beat the corrupt dynasties that all finished behind me. And we voted in a term limit charter amendment last night that will keep them from returning.”
Higgins heads into the runoff as the favorite. She’s got the name recognition, the fundraising machine, and the whole “serious adult” vibe that Miami voters seem to be craving after years of scandals, indictments, screaming matches and more lawsuits than a week’s worth of Caso Cerrado episodes.
And if the trend continues –Democratic voters outnumbered Republicans, with 16,633 turning out against 11,396 GOP voters — Higgins will have another advantage in a few weeks. While this is a non-partisan race, there really is no such thing in Miami-Dade anymore. That turnout — a scant 21% in total — might reflect the electorate’s disgust with state and national GOP leaders — and may repeat on Dec. 9 if Gonzalez doesn’t lay off the heavy Republican background.
Gonzalez, meanwhile, is banking on those big red endorsements, the law and order vote and nostalgia — the idea that a retired colonel who once ran the airport and City Hall can bring discipline to a city that routinely loses its keys, its records, and sometimes its commissioners.
This race is going to get messy — fast.
Higgins wants to paint Emilio as the ultimate insider. Gonzalez wants to paint Eileen as the ultimate politician. And voters are stuck choosing between two reformers in a city allergic to reform.
But one thing is certain: Miami rejected the old ghosts. Carollo and ADLP finished so low they needed scuba gear.
Now the real fight begins.

You can help produce more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and campaigns with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

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The ink on Miami’s new lifetime term limits isn’t even dry — and already, some voters are asking a judge to make sure the city doesn’t pretend not to see it.
Three Miami residents — Victor Milanes, Alex Almirola and Oscar Elio Alejandro, who case in fourth— filed an emergency injunction Tuesday night to block Frank Carollo from appearing on the December runoff ballot in the District 3 commission race.
Their argument is simple: voters just passed Referendum 4, the lifetime term limit amendment, and they meant what they said.
“Miami voters spoke clearly when they passed Referendum 4,” their statement reads. “They want to end the revolving door of politicians cycling through office and set clear lifetime limits on elected office applied retroactively as stated on the ballot measure.”
Translation: enough with the Carollo reruns.
Read related: Bait and switch on lifetime term limits proposal for Miami mafia politicos
Frank Carollo, who served two full terms as District 3 commissioner before his brother Joe Carollo took over the seat in 2019, led an eight-candidate field in Tuesday’s election with almost 38% of the vote. He is expected to face Rolando Escalona, who got just over 17%, in a runoff next month.
But there’s one little problem — the voters just banned exactly this kind of comeback tour.
The lifetime term limit charter amendment, approved overwhelmingly by almost 80% of the voters, bars anyone who’s already served two full terms from ever holding the same city office again. Retroactively.
As in, starting now.
“Voters have chosen a fresh start –- a government that serves the public interest, and leaders who reflect our city’s future, not its past,” the three voters’ statement reads. “Enforcing this reform is the only way to ensure that the people’s will is clear, consistent, and fully upheld — and that the new chapter Miami voters demanded begins today.”
So while Frank Carollo, who was endorsed by the Miami Fraternal Order of Police, may have gotten the most votes — maybe it was all those birthday cakes he delivered to voters — the new rule voters passed on the very same ballot could make him ineligible to take office at all.
Read related: Miami Voters get it right on the fine print referendums: Yes, No, Yes, Yes
Cue the lawyers.
The Miami police union endorsed Frank Carollo in the D3 race.
The lawsuit asks the court to enforce the term limits immediately, calling it “essential to ensure that the voters’ mandate for reform is both respected and enforced.”
It was filed by former State Rep. JC Planas, who recently lost the supervisor of elections race, but just won a case for Escalona brought against him by Denise Galvez Turros, who knew she couldn’t beat him at the polls, and only got 7%. That’s less than Alejandro, Rob Piper and Brenda Betancourt.
Ouch. But maybe he is used to it after losing a commission race in 2017 to the late Manolo Reyes because she lived in District 4 then. She was drawn into D3.
Planas argues that allowing a candidate who’s already done two full terms to stay on the ballot would “directly undermine that mandate and risk nullifying the very reform voters just enacted.”
In other words, you can’t promise voters a new day in Miami politics and then let one of the old guys waltz back in the next morning.
This is why Commissioner Damian Pardo tied the lifetime term limits to moving the elections to next year, precisely to avoid this from happening.
On the same night voters approved lifetime term limits — a direct rebuke to the political class that’s run City Hall like a revolving door for decades — one of the first people trying to walk through that door again happened to be… a Carollo.
You can’t make this stuff up.
This is the second lawsuit in this race. Last week, a judge ruled against candidate Denise Galvez Turros, who came in fourth with just over 7%, when she tried to kick Escalona off the ballot based on allegations that he did not live in the district. A judge found that he provided enough evidence that, yeah, he did.
Read related: Judge: Rolando Escalona belongs on Miami ballot for D3 commissioner
It’s not clear how quickly a judge might rule on this emergency motion or whether the city clerk will hit pause on certifying the runoff ballot until the case is decided. But this is Miami — so expect the legal drama to get messy fast.
City lawyers, election officials, and maybe even the Carollo brothers themselves could get pulled into this fight over whether “lifetime” really means lifetime, or just until the next loophole comes along.
Voters said loud and clear Tuesday that they want new blood at City Hall — not the same last names on repeat.
If the court sides with them, it could be the first real test — and victory — for the “new Miami” that reformers keep talking about.
If not, well… let’s just say Ladra wouldn’t bet against seeing the same old faces haunting the dais again.

You can help produce more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and campaigns with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

Lawsuit to get Frank Carollo off the D3 runoff ballot by Political Cortadito
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The youngest mayor — and maybe the hungriest — pulls upset
Well, well, well. Turns out you can still beat the machine in Hialeah.
Bryan Calvo, the 27-year-old former councilman who once sued the city’s own leadership and knocked on thousands of doors himself, pulled off what nobody — and I mean nobody — expected Tuesday night. He didn’t just make it to a runoff. He won outright, becoming the youngest mayor in the history of the City of Progress.
With 53% of the votes, Calvo left the political establishment eating crow pastelitos.
Council President Jesús Tundidor came in a distant second with 21%, and the incumbent mayor, Jackie Garcia Roves, who became the first woman mayor in Hialeah after former Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo jumped ship to lobby in D.C. (from his living room in Hialeah, las malas lenguas say), limped to third with 19%, and the rest barely registered.

Garica Roves was first elected to the Council in 2019 as part of then-Mayor Carlos Hernandez’s slate, and reelected four years later unopposed. This was supposed to be Jackie’s seat to lose — and, well, she did just that. But she is not the only one.
Make no mistake: this wasn’t just a local election. This was an old-guard cage match — and the upstart beat them all.
Read related: Accusations vs two Hialeah mayoral candidates only benefit Jesus Tundidor
Garcia Roves had the backing of all the big boys — former mayors Bovo, Hernández, and Julio Robaina— not to mention Miami-Dade Commissioner Rene Garcia, who stabbed Tundidor, his onetime protegé, in the back. That’s basically the Hialeah version of a royal family endorsement. Tundidor, who many assumed would be the other half of a runoff, had the unions and Miami-Dade Property Appraiser Tomas Regalado.
But Calvo? Calvo was out there in the heat, knocking on doors, shaking hands, talking water bills and garbage pickups with abuelas on their porches.  No machine. No dynasty. No major endorsements. Just hustle.
Oh, and some secret sauce courtesy of former Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas, who served as a campaign advisor.
Oh, and some last minute help from populist podcaster and former Miami-Dade mayoral candidate Alex Otaola and his grupito of Proud Boy wannabes. Otaola did well in Hialeah last year and had one of his famous, traffic-stopping caravans outside Westland Mall last week.
It all paid off.
This is the same Bryan Calvo who made headlines two years ago for taking on then-Mayor Bovo — even suing him for blocking an investigation into the city’s emergency call center. The court threw the complaint out and the city council condemned him for it, 6–1.
Guess who gets the last laugh now?
Read related: Dueling tax cut proposals in Hialeah means campaign season is in full gear
Calvo didn’t return calls and a text to his phone from Ladra. Getting a big head already, perhaps. Or he was busy fielding dozens of calls and visits to his victory party from well wishers and wished-they’d-wished-wellers who are now in the precarious position of looking like they always supported him. Even Hialeah Housing Authority Director Julio Ponce, who was openly supporting Garcia-Roves, showed up to say congrats between his teeth. He’s just hoping to keep his job.
But earlier in the campaign, Calvo — who resigned his council seat last year to make a failed run for Miami-Dade tax collector — told Ladra that he wanted to bring “real change” to Hialeah. Looks like voters finally agreed.
In a city where mayors are usually minted in backrooms and blessed by padrinos, Calvo built his own path, block by block.
He ran on fiscal discipline — no more fake rebates that drain millions from city coffers while potholes and parks rot. He warned that Hialeah “doesn’t print money,” and that taxpayers would end up footing the bill. He promised to end the retirement plan that Bovo got passed right before left, provide property tax relief to seniors and find a way to lower increasing water bills.
Turns out the voters were listening. And they believed him,
Read related: Three former Hialeah mayors ‘host’ quiet fundraiser for Jackie Garcia-Roves
The result isn’t just an upset. It is a repudiation of Hialeah’s political elite — the mayors-turned-kingmakers who have kept their grip on the city since the Hernandez and Robaina era. It iss a rejection of the longtime Hialeah campaign spinmeisters like Ana Carbonell, who did Garcia-Roves, and David Custin, who worked with Team Tundidor, but mostly phoned it in between pickleball matches.
This time, the voters didn’t follow the slate cards. They didn’t salute the same old banners. They picked the guy who actually knocked on their doors and came to see them.
That’s what happens when people are fed up with the price of everything going up and the streets still flooding.
At 27, Calvo becomes the youngest mayor in Hialeah’s long, colorful history — and maybe the first in a long time who doesn’t owe his job to a padrino.
He’s got a lot to prove. But if Tuesday’s results said anything, it’s that voters want him to try.
Now ,we get to see if the kid who took on the machine can actually run it — or if the machine starts looking for ways to get even.

You can help produce more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and campaigns with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

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While everyone was busy watching which mayoral hopeful made it into the runoff — and whether Commissioner Joe Carollo would lose his temper before or after the polls closed — Miami voters quietly showed some serious smarts on the four city charter amendments that could reshape City Hall for years to come.
The results? Yes, No, Yes, Yes.
That’s right — voters said yes to more accountability, no to more shady real estate loopholes, yes to fairer maps, and yes to finally putting a stake through the heart of Miami’s political dinosaurs.
Not bad, Miami. Not bad at all.
Yes to the Charter Review Commission
Looks like voters agreed it’s time to stop winging it. After decades without a regular review of the city’s “constitution,” Miami will now have a Charter Review Commission every 10 years. More than 76% of the voters said “Yes, please.”
Read related: In Miami election, four referendums — and a funeral for common sense
Each commissioner, the mayor, and the city manager get to appoint one member — which means yes, it’ll still be political, but at least it’ll be scheduled politics. Think of it as a regularly programmed tune-up for a government that’s been running on duct tape.
Ladra’s verdict: Good move. Now, let’s hope the meetings are more civil than the commission meetings.
No to the land sale loophole
This was the one Ladra warned you about — the “trust us, we’ll get a fair price” land-sale loophole that would’ve let commissioners sell city property without competitive bids.
Voters weren’t buying it. Almost 76% of them said no thanks to letting City Hall play Monopoly with public land behind closed doors.
Sorry, City Manager Art Noriega. You’ll have to find another way to unload those “excess” properties. Maybe a yard sale?
Ladra’s verdict: Hallelujah. For once, Miamians didn’t fall for the “we just need flexibility” pitch that usually ends with a luxury condo where a park should’ve been.
Yes to redistricting reform (again, finally)
After getting dragged into federal court for racial gerrymandering, Miami voters said yes to creating a citizens’ redistricting committee — and yes to banning maps drawn to favor or disfavor incumbents. This got a 77%+ approval, because Miamians are still reeling from the gerrymandering they were subjected to when the commission drew districts so they could be re-elected.
Read related: The city of Miami wants to sell your public land with no public vote
Will this magically end political map games in Miami? Please. But it’s a start. And it’s a sign that residents are tired of commissioners carving up neighborhoods like turkey legs at a fundraiser.
Ladra’s verdict: Progress, but only if the “citizens” are not big campaign donors or political primos.
Yes to lifetime term limits
And finally, the big one: Lifetime term limits are now a thing in the City of Miami.
Two terms for mayor. Two for commissioner. That’s it. No more political boomerangs taking a sabbatical and coming back like it’s 1999.
This question got the largest approval, with almost 80% of the vote. That’s practically four out of every five voters who think that, yeah, enough is enough. They want to see new faces and hear some fresh ideas.
It’s bad news for the career politicians who want to treat City Hall like a timeshare — and Miami-Dade Commissioner Keon Hardemon is gonna have to make other plans — but good news for everyone else.
Of course, the Carollo Clause still lets Crazy Joe sneak through because of that technicality about “filling a vacancy,” but hey — baby steps.
Read related: Bait and switch on lifetime term limits proposal for Miami mafia politicos
Ladra’s verdict: About damn time. Maybe now some of these guys will actually have to get real jobs.
The bottom line: Miami voters did us proud
Miami voters proved something Tuesday night: they can read the fine print.
By going “Yes, No, Yes, Yes,” they didn’t just change a few lines in the charter — they sent a message to the usual suspects at City Hall: We’re watching. Y las cosas are gonna change around here.
And that, queridos, is more than we could say for most elections.

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The post Miami Voters get it right on the fine print referendums: Yes, No, Yes, Yes appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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