Five candidates qualify for special Miami Beach election to fill vacancy

There are five people who qualified by the deadline Thursday to run for Miami Beach city commission and fill the vacancy left by the unexpected June death of Commissioner Mark Samuelian. They are:

Sabrina Cohen, a C5 quadriplegic as the result of a teenage car accident who has since become an activist. She founded the Sabrina Cohen Foundation, which is dedicated to developing adaptive fitness and recreational programs that provide a better quality of life for individuals living with paralysis and various disabilities. Thanks to her, many wheelchair-bound people have enjoyed the beach.Stephen Cohen, a realtor and real estate investor who has been a civic activist for years, involved in beach clean-ups and food drives. He is a perennial candidate, running several times and losing last year to Commissioner Alex Fernandez.Laura Dominguez, Samuellian’s life partner for the past 10 years, who was by his side for his political campaigns and community events. She is up on all the issues and is favored by several commissioners. She works in digital marketing.Isaiah Mosley, a senior environmental scientist at Aecom, an infrastructure consulting firm, worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection from 2008 to 2010. He is a community volunteer. He ran for commission in 2015 for a seat ultimately won by Commissioner Kristen Rosen-Gonzalez.Mitch Novick, part owner of the Sherbrooke Hotel and regular speaker at city commission meetings. Novick has been involved in Beach politics for at least a decade. He’s chronicled the crowd control issues in South Beach for years and is a big fan of the 2 a.m. last call.

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