Judicial races are different, everybody says. They are more civil. They aren’t as vitriolic as state or county races in South Florida, where candidates are “communists” and investigations are exaggerated or made up altogether.

Well, maybe they were different — before Renier Diaz de la Portilla decided to run against an incumbent non-Hispanic judge.

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It’s not strange that a bunch of Republican candidates for this or that office, even non partisan county seats, were at the Christian Family Coalition’s 2022 Miami-Dade Legislative Victory & Candidates Breakfast last month, pandering for the ultra conservative vote. But a judicial candidate?

Incumbent Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Oscar Rodriguez-Fonts took a few minutes to speak to the crowd assembled at the event, featuring Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, where organizers celebrated the recent reversal of Roe vs. Wade by the Supreme Court, which has, ironically, shone a light on how important judicial races are.

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When he ran for county commission two years ago, Renier Diaz de la Portilla paid an inactive corporation $75,000 for “canvassing” voters in Miami-Dade District 5.

It’s already strange because the company, CruisePort Destinations, doesn’t seem to have any canvassing or election experience. It’s a D/B/A for a larger corporation, America’s Gateway Inc., that provides portside operation and logistics for several South Florida cruise companies.

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And Circuit Court Judge Robert Watson needs to publicly distance himself

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Former elected and three-time loser Renier Diaz de la Portilla has raised $62,700 in little more than a month for his judicial race, according to the latest campaign finance report. And many of the campaign contributions are from real estate developers and special interests in the city of Miami, where his big brother is a sitting commissioner.

In addition to the $3,500 he’s loaned himself, the youngest of the Diaz de la Portilla brothers has collected a few checks and bundles most likely thanks to his brother, Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who is also the chair of the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency.

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2020 campaign funding could be under scrutiny by the Miami-Dade SAO

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