Like a petulant brat who doesn’t like to be told “no,” Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago defied everyone and betrayed both his colleagues and his constituents this week when he displayed an Israeli flag in his window at City Hall, even though the commission had voted against raising the flag because of the outpouring of community opposition.
This should prove that he doesn’t care what anybody thinks.
Read related: Coral Gables commission backs off Israeli flag at City Hall after backlash
Lago hung a U.S. flag morphed with the Israeli one in the historic window of his office on the second floor Tuesday. He was so proud of defying the community sentiment that he posted a photo of it on Instagram, along with a photo of three young men — Ladra suspects his podcast pals — with Israeli flags prancing around at the park across the street.
“On October 7th, 2023 the world witnessed an unspeakable, heinous act as 1,200 innocent men, women and children were killed and 250 people were taken hostage by Hamas. It was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Lago wrote. “Today, we remember them and celebrate their lives as sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, neighbors and friends. Lives forever altered in an instant, by hatred and a lack of tolerance.

“We will always stand on the side of justice and our allies (Israel), never forgetting the freedoms we have as Americans.”
He also felt a need to make sure that everybody knows the “first photo is of the Mayor’s office over looking the front of city hall.”
Was that for the benefit of the Isreali consulate and embassy in Miami? After all, they were invited to “collaborate” on the post.
It certainly looks like the park protest was coordinated with the mayor’s office. There was no permit needed, said Gables spokeswoman Martha Pantin. “Individuals do not require a permit to display items such as flags, provided they do not block ingress, egress, or interfere with traffic flow,” she wrote in an email responding to a question.
Guess that means that anyone can show up tomorrow with flags from Palestine, Iraq, China, Russia, Libya. In fact, employees are also free to display another country’s flag from the windows of their offices and city vehicles, Pantin said.
“We do not have specific personnel rules regarding the display of personal items like flags, as long as they are not offensive in nature. Any items deemed offensive would be addressed in accordance with our standard policies.”
Perhaps they’ll tweak the official definition of “offensive.”
Read related: City raising an Israeli flag causes fuss and fury at Coral Gables City Hall
Pantin said “after checking with dispatch and the manager’s office, no calls or complaints were received regarding this matter.”
That was in an email sent at 4:51 p.m. It is not Pantin’s fault that she hadn’t yet seen the email sent 20 minutes earlier by Katherine Shehadeh, a resident who spoke at both public meetings against raising the Israeli flag on public property at a time when the world was denouncing what many — even inside Israel — are calling a genocide of the Palestinian people.
“In advance of next week’s meeting, where I know there will be further discussion on this point, I want to be sure everyone is aware of this post on the mayor’s official Coral Gables account that he made jointly with the Israeli Consul General, a foreign official, tagging a number of Coral Gables media outlets and his political action committee,” Shehadeh wrote in her email to Lago and the commissioners. “I want everyone to consider the moral and ethical implications of using their public office this way, particularly on a matter that was already addressed democratically and respectfully within the commission’s chambers.”
And that’s is the issue here. If Lago had posted an Israeli flag on his personal social media and raised a flag at his house on San Amaro Drive, there would be no problem. Like when Palmetto Bay Councilman Steve Cody posted something about the assassination of Charlie Kirk being ironic because of his stance on the Second Amendment. People wanted to skin Cody alive and demanded his resignation — which he has politely declined — but he wasn’t speaking as a commissioner.
Not only was Lago’s post on his official city profile, he went ahead and did this after a great deal of public debate — overwhelmingly against his idea of solidarity only with Israel — and his colleagues on the commission agreed to have some non-political show of remembrance instead. This is in your face defiance. More proof that Mayor L’Ego, who did not return calls and texts from Ladra, is a sour loser and a bully who only wants to get his way.
Is he always going to do whatever he wants despite what the commission votes democratically? Isn’t that what a dictator is?
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, allies bully and browbeat Melissa Castro
“It’s troubling to see the mayor once again ignore both the comission’s decision and the clear message from residents who asked us to keep City Hall neutral,” Commission Melissa Castro told Political Cortadito. “This isn’t leadership. It’s self promotion.
“Time and again, he’s shown that it’s not about residents want, it’s about what he wants,” Castro added. “Coral Gables residents came to City Hall twice to express their desire for neutrality, and the commission listened. We made a collective decision to keep our government impartial and focused on unity, not politics.
“When the mayor defies that vote and uses City Hall to advance personal agendas, it undermines public trust. A mayor should lead by example, not by personal ambition.”

If you like this kind of independent watchdog journalism, please consider making a contribution here to Political Cortadito. Thank you for your support!

Read Full Story

First in a series of profiles about the Miami mayoral candidates
Miami mayoral candidate Michael Hepburn says he’s “on the verge of making history” as Miami’s first black mayor. That’s a bold and confident statement — and one Ladra has heard before from more than one well-intentioned candidate whose campaign never made it past early voting.
Hepburn, a Miami native whose family roots in the city go back to 1896, is one of the other seven — not one of the six candidates considered frontrunners in a race that will certainly end in a runoff. But he is, arguably, the most exciting.
Running on a working-class platform he calls a “love letter” to his hometown. The non-profit executive, self-proclaimed sports and entertainment entrepreneur and civic advocate says he’s connected with 25,000 Miami households and stands as “the first Black Miamian to ever execute a bonafide viable campaign” for the city’s top job.
That “viable” part is where Ladra cocks her head a little.
Because while Hepburn’s passion is undeniable — his press releases and his website read more like a halftime pep talk than a political announcement — the climb to City Hall is a steep one, lined with big names, big money, and big egos. Hepburn, by his own admission, is “not a millionaire” and “not a recycled elected official.”
Which is exactly what Ladra likes about him — but also what makes this a long shot.
Read related: Primetime politics: Local 10 News puts Miami mayoral hopefuls in the hot seat
Hepburn has one notable endorsement — from entrepreneur Maxwell “Max” Martinez, who dropped out of the race before qualifying. Martinez, who placed second in the 2021 mayoral race against Francis Suarez, said he met Hepburn during that race, when Hepburn was running for city commission. He’s not only impressed with his work ethic, he also thinks that Hepburn can help drive policy and he likes that he’s a fresh face.
“The other names on the ballot have all been in office — you’re currently living in the results of their work,” Martinez, a fellow Democrat, said of Hepburn in a story in Florida Politics last month. “Mike fights the right way, and he’s never bowed to developer money or special interests.”
His campaign finance reports reflect that. Of the $36,000 and change he has reported raising, almost $34K comes from himself. The rest are in small donations, no bigger than $100. There are a lot of $44 contributions, to signify that he would be the city’s 44th mayor.
Hepburn, who won a Miami Herald Silver Night at Miami Central High, ran for commission in 2021 in District 5 and came in third, behind former appointed incumbent Commissioner Jeffrey Watson and Commission Chairwoman Christine King, who won that race with 65% of the vote and is up for re-election on the November ballot. This year, you can see many of King’s yard signs with Hepburn’s.
That’s by design.
“Because of District 5 is why I have a path to the runoff,” Hepburn told Political Cortadito. He didn’t want to compete with King for votes. He wants to share them with her.
“If I can cultivate my base and also galvanize those other communities in the city, then I have just as good a chance as anybody else,” Hepburn said, adding that the black vote is underestimated. There were 18,000 Miami black voters in the 2024 presidential election.
“They’re not engaged locally but they’ve never had anyone to vote for,” Hepburn told Ladra. “We’ve always been relegated to our district. I’m the first person who looks like me to run for mayor.”
Hepburn also ran for state rep twice and congress once — so this is his fifth try for public office — and has volunteered with the Miami Parks & Recreation Advisory Board’s Community Emergency Response Team, as a charter member of AmeriCorps and a co-founder of the Allapattah Neighborhood Association.
He is the executive director and principal of Reimagine Miami Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit he founded in 2021 that supposedly helps cover college expenses for public high school graduates — and has reportedly already doled out more than $160,000 to students. Funding sources could not be identified. Ladra could not find the non-profits 990s online, but small charities with gross receipts of under $50,000 are not required to file them.
Among the long shot would-be also-rans, Hepburn is a star. He’s already got some name-rec and he’s hitting the right populist notes: promising to lower the cost of living for working people, stand up to special interests, fire the city manager, and restructure the mayor’s office into five focused functions with 44 policy actions — a level of detail most Miami candidates haven’t even imagined.
He also vows to “take back the power of the dais” and “stand up against corruption,” which in this city is practically a campaign requirement. If you don’t say you’ll fight corruption in Miami, are you even running?
Read related: One-liners and other memorable moments from Miami mayoral debate
Hepburn’s plan touches on all the civic buzzwords: affordable housing, climate resilience, neighborhood safety, and uplifting children and seniors. But to break through the noise, he’ll need more than a heartfelt letter — he’ll need cash, coalition, and credibility beyond community boards. He couldn’t even get the 5% needed to be on the stage at the Downtown Neighbors Association’s mayoral debate last month, and called for the community to boycott the event.
He also suspended his campaign for a bit in June to try to recall Commissioner Damian Pardo for sponsoring the ordinance that moved the city elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years, which effectively cancelled this year’s mayoral race, where he had already been campaigning for months. Years? Another candidate, former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez, filed the lawsuit that forced the city to rescind the ordinance (it was found to violate the city and county charter) and put the race back on.
That said, there’s something refreshing about Hepburn’s tone. He sounds like someone who actually rides the bus, who has waited at a hot corner for the 7, the 11 or the 27A, and who still believes that City Hall can be fixed from the inside.
Maybe it’s naïve. Or maybe it’s the kind of earnestness this city needs after years of headlines about FBI probes, absentee mayors, and million-dollar condos no one lives in.
Either way, Hepburn is right about one thing: it’s personal.
And if history is made in November — and that’s a big if — it won’t be because of money or dynasty names. It’ll be because enough working-class Miamians decided to believe in one of their own.
The post Michael Hepburn writes ‘Love Letter’ to Miami, but will voters actually read it? appeared first on Political Cortadito.

Read Full Story

Political palanca is pushing the gas pedal
It looks like the BusPatrol program is still parked in neutral — and the Miami-Dade School Board could decide Wednesday whether to tow it away or try to fix it. And three members are very connected to BusPatrol lobbyists pushing for the program to be reinstated.
Six months ago, after rampant complaints, Sheriff Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stutz pulled the plug on the “school bus safety” camera program, which had been in operation since June of last year and issued more than 144,000 citations. Ticketed drivers said there were mistakes and no real process to contest the fine. At least 8,600 citations have been contested.
The BusPatrol plan was supposed to be a turn-key solution that cost the district nothing. Cameras would catch motorists who passed stopped school buses, read license plates, and tickets would go out automatically, and the company would share the revenue with the district. But it turns out that “turn-key” really meant turn a blind eye.
Now, the district is still trying to figure out what went wrong — and how to get out of the ditch.
According to an audit report requested by School Board Member Roberto Alonso and released last month, the program was never properly vetted, didn’t include any clear chain of communication between the district, the sheriff, and the courts, and ignored public problems BusPatrol had already experienced in other states like New York and Pennsylvania.
But that didn’t stop then-Chief Operating Officer Luis Diaz from pushing it through last year. Nor did it go through the usual competitive bid process, because it was revenue-generating — meaning 70% of every $225 ticket went straight to BusPatrol, and the other 30% went to the district. No violation of policy, the auditors say. Just a terrible idea that looks good because it has netted the school board more than $9 million so far.
The program hit the road in June of last year — and blew the engine before 12 months. An investigative story by The Miami Herald and Tributary found that hundreds, maybe thousands of innocent motorists were getting $225 tickets even when they were driving on the opposite side of a raised median, which is perfectly legal. But the cameras apparently didn’t know that. And BusPatrol didn’t care. Because there was no clear way to contest them, many ticketed drivers just paid the fine. Even on bogus tickets.
Read related: Miami-Dade Sheriff to county leaders: Budget cuts handcuff public safety
In May, Sheriff Rosie said basta and hit the brakes. She announced on X that she was immediately suspending all citations. And Alonso requested the audit that basically confirmed what everyone suspected: Miami-Dade Public Schools never really vetted BusPatrol before signing on the dotted line. According to the district’s own internal auditor, the BusPatrol contract slipped through a loophole in the district’s procurement rules. Because it was “revenue-generating” and under $50,000 on paper, the deal didn’t have to go through a competitive bid process.
That meant no formal vetting, no references from other school districts, no testimonials. Staff told auditors that they relied on word of mouth and a Google search.
“We found a lack of evidence that BusPatrol and the overall program were sufficiently vetted prior to entering a contract,” the audit says. In plain English: They didn’t do their homework.
Turns out, the so-called turn-key program in one neat package — cameras, ticket processing, coordination with law enforcement, even court services — wasn’t what it was promised to be. The audit said the district “was not prepared for the scope of coordination needed” among the different agencies.
BusPatrol, of course, insists everything was done by the book. In a statement, the company pointed out that the audit confirmed the procurement process followed the rules — technically. But the auditors also “legal” doesn’t mean “smart.”
Superintendent Jose Dotres sent a memo to the schools police chief ordering him to work with the sheriff’s office to “fix the citation review process.” But the scope of the problem — and the lack of due process — was so bad that a class action lawsuit was filed in March against BusPatrol, alleging that Miami-Dade drivers were denied their right to contest the fines. According to a story aired by NBC6, an attorney for the motorists said the program “prioritized revenue generation over rights.”
Ya think? According to the audit, BusPatrol got around $22 million for 10 months of work.
In part, the complaint filed in court says BusPatrol “not only deprived citizens of Miami-Dade of their property without lawful justification, but also enriched the defendants at the expense of the public under questionable legal and ethical circumstances.”
So, just another day in 305 politics?
Read related: In Miami-Dade, first day of school jitters come with ICE deportation fears
BusPatrol wouldn’t explain much. In a statement, the company said the lawsuit was a “frivolous and baseless attempt to undermine a critical student safety issue in Miami.” For details about the saga, company executive Steve Randazzo told reporters only: “You’re going to have to ask the sheriff’s office.”
She’s not your biggest fan, dude.
But don’t worry, BusPatrol has friends in high places. And we don’t mean just State Rep. Vicky López — a potential replacement for Eileen Higgins on the county commission — who ushered the law that allows for Bus Patrol to install cameras in Miami-Dade school buses, and just happens to have her son and her brother-in-law on their payroll.
Since the suspension, as the Herald reported last week, the company has hired two politically connected lobbyists: David “Disgustin’” Custin and Tania Cruz Gimenez. Custin ran school board member Danny Espino’s 2024 campaign — for which Espino paid him more than $56,000 — and also worked for Mary Blanco, who paid him about $106,000. His gravy train in Tallahassee — former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez and former State House Speaker Jose Oliva — is over, so he’s making his bed at the school board. Hey, he’s gotta sleep somewhere.
Cruz Gimenez, who helped elect Cordero-Stutz — and is now helping Miami District 3 candidate Denise Galvez — is married to Carlos “CJ” Gimenez, who is the son of the congressman but, more importantly for this story, the nephew of School Board Chairwoman Mary Tere Rojas.
Now Espino, Blanco and Rojas are key players in the fate of the BusPatrol program. Shouldn’t they all recuse themselves?
Instead, Espino has become the program’s biggest cheerleaders. At a committee meeting last week, the attorney proposed hiring the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings to handle the ticket challenges virtually. He said the system already works in Hillsborough County and could “provide the sheriff comfort” that there’s due process for drivers. He is sponsoring the revisions proposed to the board Wednesday.
Superintendent Jose Dotres tried to pump the brakes, warning the board not to promise the district would cover the administrative costs of those hearings. “We just have to be very cautious in saying that we are going to bear the cost,” he said.
The board votes on Espino’s proposal Wednesday. The meeting starts at 11 a.m. at the school board meeting downtown, 1450 NE Second Avenue.
Ladra bets there’ll be a lot of hand-wringing and finger-pointing — but not much accountability. Because in Miami-Dade, bad deals like this one always seem to have friends behind the wheel.

If you like reading independent, watchdog government coverage of the Miami-Dade Public School Board, please consider making a contribution to Political Cortadito. Thank you for your support!

The post Miami-Dade School Board to revisit flawed, ‘connected’ BusPatrol program appeared first on Political Cortadito.

Read Full Story

Here we go. The political season just got real.
Miami-Dade’s Elections Department has mailed out the first batch of vote-by-mail or absentee ballots for the upcoming Nov. 4 municipal elections in Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Homestead and Surfside — which means the mailboxes in those zip codes are about to get a workout.
About 39,000 ballots rolled out of the county’s elections warehouse in Doral Monday morning, and were loaded onto a U.S. Postal Service truck under the watchful eye of the media and Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina García, who made sure everyone saw the process. Cameras rolling, ballots stacked, democracy in motion.
Read related: The end of absentee ballots? Who’s crying in Miami-Dade County?
The bulk of those (21,258) were sent to Miami voters, who are looking at a historic mayoral election to replace the termed out Francis Suarez — with no fewer than 13 candidates — and two commission races, including the District 3 race to replace the termed out Joe Carollo, who is running for mayor. Another 8.041 went to city of Hialeah voters, which seems low.
“Building the public’s trust through secure, fair, accurate, and accessible elections is my pledge,” García said in a statement, adding that vote-by-mail remains one of three ways Miami-Dade voters can cast their ballots — along with early voting and Election Day itself.
On Monday, before the TV cameras, Garcia said that the absentee voting process was safe, even though President Donald Trump says otherwise, because election workers check the signature every step of the way. “Voting by mail in Florida is very secure,” she said.
Maybe it is now, after several local and state laws have changed. And as a former campaign operative for the likes of former Congressman David Rivera and former Sen. Frank Artiles — who paid a sham candidate $50,000 to fix a Florida Senate race in 2020 — Garcia should know better than anyone.
Miami-Dade has a long storied past of absentee ballot fraud and other misgivings. The boleteros who handle these ABs have long been part of the local voting scene. They didn’t just create just an industry. They created a culture.
Read related: Frank Artiles arrested for sham state senate election — but was he alone?
One of the oldest known and possibly most notorious chapters was the 1997 Miami mayoral election. There was evidence of fraud — people casting ABs from Westchester, Broward and beyond the grave — that eventually overturned the election and won The Miami Herald a Pulitzer for investigative journalism (Ladra’s second).
It was pretty quiet on the absentee front until 2011, when several people were caught harvesting absentee ballots during the special post-recall mayoral election and 2012, when a Hialeah ballot ring was investigated by the Miami-Dade Police public corruption unit later decimated by former Mayor Carlos Gimenez after (read: because) he was implicated in it.
Among the characters arrested for some kind of absentee ballot shenanigans: Sergio “El Tio” Robaina, a relative of former Mayor Julio Robaina, Miami-Dade District 13 aide Anamary Pedrosa — who was working in then county Commissioner Esteban “Steve” Bovo‘s Hialeah office when she was caught stuffing ballots into the trunk of her car — and Deisy Cabrera, who got a “pan con bistec” delivered to her in a paper bag by Commissioner Rene Garcia after she was released.
In response, Miami-Dade passed a law that nobody could carry more than two ballots at a time.
In 2013, two men were arrested after they allegedly visited a Homestead home and filled out four people’s absentee ballots against their desires. They also allegedly possessed more than two ballots at a time.
As the use of vote-by-mail or absentee ballots increased, the Florida legislature also responded, with new ID requirements and ballot drop box limits in 2020 and a new law that requires the renewal of absentee or vote-by-mail ballot requests after every major election cycle. Previously, an absentee ballot request would last at least two cycles.
Many of the campaigns for the candidates in these five cities with elections next month have been focused on getting absentee ballot requests submitted. And this is the moment they’ve all been waiting — and fundraising — for.
Stacks of ABs are loaded on a truck and headed for the post office.
Now that those ballots are out, campaign mailers will start hitting doorsteps fast. Expect the flood of glossy flyers, “urgent messages,” and last-minute text “reminders” to vote. Some will arrive so often you’ll start to think your mail carrier’s on the campaign payroll. Then it will be the phone calls from the campaigns to make sure you mailed your ballot back.
This is when campaigns shift from yard signs and social media to the real battleground — the kitchen table. Because once people start filling in those bubbles, it’s game on. Because now that those ballots are out — every candidate, consultant, and campaign manager in the 305 is hitting “send” on a hundred different voter contact plans.
Enjoy the brief calm before your mailbox fills with “friends of,” and “for the future of,” and “we can’t afford four more years of…”
You know the drill.
Let the games begin.

A reminder for voters
If you want to vote by mail and haven’t requested your ballot yet, there’s still time — but pay attention to the fine print.
Under Florida’s new rules, any vote-by-mail requests made before the 2024 general election expired on Jan. 1, 2025. That means you have to renew your request if you haven’t already.
Ballots cannot be forwarded by the Post Office, so if you’ve moved or will be away, you’ll need to submit a Statewide Vote-By-Mail Ballot Request Form with your signature.
And remember: your completed ballot must be received (not just postmarked) by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 4, or it doesn’t count. So don’t wait till the last minute — mail it early so the elections office can contact you if there’s a problem with your signature.
More info, and a link to request an absentee ballot, is at www.votemiamidade.gov.

The post ABs are out for November 4 elections — and so is the flood of campaign mail appeared first on Political Cortadito.

Read Full Story

Former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who was suspended from office after his 2023 arrest on public corruption charges — including bribery and money laundering — that were later dropped, has a new campaign video for his mayoral bid that could easily be titled The Resurrection of ADLP.
The 30-second spot, which is expected to drop online before the weekend, opens not with Diaz de la Portilla himself but with a couple of loyal voters talking about how their guy was done dirty.
“They wanted to do to Alex the same thing they did to Trump,” says an older man with a blue tile wall behind him.
He’s talking about the arrest in September two years ago on 14 felonies that led to his suspension from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Diaz de la Portilla was accused of taking more than $250,000 in campaign contributions and hotel, food and booze costs from the owners of the Centner Academy in exchange for gifting them a city park they could build a sports dome on for their students. He has always maintained that he was targeted politically in his re-election year.
Another abuelita chimes in on the ad, solemnly: “El que no la debe, no la paga.” Literal translation: He who owes nothing, pays nothing. A better translation: If Alex didn’t do anything wrong, he shouldn’t have to pay any price.
Then come the receipts — or at least, the selective ones. The ad flashes images of Trump and news clips about prosecutors dropping charges against Diaz de la Portilla last year. The words like “victory” and “dismissed charges” are peppered in
Subtle? Not even close.
Read related: One-liners and other memorable moments from Miami mayoral debate
The message here is loud and clear: Alex Diaz de la Portilla is positioning himself as Miami’s own mini-Trump — the comeback kid persecuted by “the system,” wronged by the “deep state” of local politics, and finally vindicated by the “truth.” This is part campaign strategy and part redemption tour.
Never mind that the case didn’t exactly end in a sweeping acquittal. The charges were dropped, yes — but after prosecutors struggled to make the campaign finance case stick and a judge tossed out some of the counts. That’s not quite the same as being declared innocent. But in politics, nuance is for losers.
And Diaz de la Portilla knows the optics game better than most.
The video is full of feel-good B-roll: Alex shaking hands, dancing with a little old lady, hugging supporters, one of whom wears a red MAGA hat. There’s upbeat music.
It’s practically a Telemundo telenovela.
But, then again, we can expect one of the other 12 candidates and/or a political action committee to soon produce a video ad with the footage and audio of his arrest. That, too, could be award-winning.
Diaz de la Portilla’s video ad will likely run on social media, WhatsApp, and maybe even some local Spanish-language TV spots if he has enough money — and the same couple accused of bribing him in 2023 have already given $100,000 to his campaign, which paid for the ad, the first of six video ads he is releasing between now and Nov. 4, Diaz de la Portilla told Political Cortadito.
He wouldn’t say what those videos would be about. “No spoilers allowed,” he texted.
This first major message since Diaz de la Portilla jumped into the Miami mayoral race is a big tell. He’s not trying to reinvent himself. He’s doubling down on the narrative that’s always worked for him: that he’s a victim of political persecution who fights for “the little guy.” It’s red meat for his base — the same loyal network of older, conservative, mostly Cuban-American voters who’ve known him and his brothers, and voted for them, since Manny Diaz was mayor.
Read related: Primetime politics: Local 10 News puts Miami mayoral hopefuls in the hot seat
And invoking Trump isn’t just symbolic. It’s strategic. The MAGA crowd is loud and mobilized, and Diaz de la Portilla is clearly hoping that their sense of grievance — of being unfairly targeted — translates to sympathy and votes.
Okay, it’s true that the Broward State Attorney’s Office made a mess of the case against ADLP. But this campaign video isn’t about truth or justice. It’s about control of the narrative. It’s about rewriting the story before his opponents — and the voters — remember the details.
It’s political alchemy: turn scandal into martyrdom, turn suspension into “persecution,” and turn dismissal into divine vindication.
Expect to see this theme everywhere as election season heats up. He’ll talk about “forgiveness,” “false accusations,” and “faith in the system.” He’ll smile a lot and say he’s focused on “the future.”
But don’t be fooled — the message under the music is pure grievance politics: They came for me. But I’m still here.
And if it works — if it gets traction with the base — expect Alex to push even harder on the Trump parallel.
Because if there’s one thing Miami politics teaches us again and again, it’s that scandal doesn’t kill careers. It just gives the next campaign ad better footage.
The post Alex Diaz de la Portilla rides the Trump train to ‘vindication’ in new video ad appeared first on Political Cortadito.

Read Full Story

Well, that didn’t fly.
The Israeli flag will not be raised over Coral Gables City Hall this week for the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, despite Mayor Vince Lago’s push to do just that. After a wave of opposition from residents—and the painfully obvious lack of support from his fellow commissioners — the idea was quietly shelved last month in favor of more neutral, unifying gestures.
But those got shelved as well, possibly because they were all-inclusive. And, instead, the city’s police department has folded an Israeli homage into their National Night Out event Tuesday night — complete with bounce houses and carnival games.
Isn’t that appropriate?
To be clear: National Night Out in the Gables was always going to be on Tuesday, October. 7. It was always going to be at Temple Judea, which is a community gathering spot. But it wasn’t always going to be about Israel. There was no mention of the dark anniversary in the early flyers and announcements. Only a DJ, bounce houses, carnival rides and a police K9 demonstration.
“National Night Out provides our first responders the opportunity to build stronger ties with the community. It also provides a great opportunity for residents to meet their neighbors,” said Police Chief Ed Hudak in a community announcement sent last week.
Now, a new press release from the police department reads: “The event is being held at Temple Judea to provide support for the affected community, and to ensure a secure and supportive environment for all. On this two-year anniversary of the Hamas attacks, we stand in solidarity with our Jewish community.”
Where did that come from?
Read related: City raising an Israeli flag causes fuss and fury at Coral Gables City Hall
The city commission voted Sept. 25 to forgo the hoisting a foreign flag over a public building — which many saw as the city siding with Israel in the current conflict in Gaza, which has been denounced as genocide by multiple world agencies — and, instead, commemorate the tragedy with a banner, an interfaith vigil, and possibly lighting up City Hall in white and blue.
You know, stand in solidarity with all the community.
That last idea was scrapped because people could see right through those colors — it was a different way to present the flag — and demanded that red be added for all the victims of political violence. It’s the colors of America, anyway. But that would defeat Lago’s purpose. So there will be no lighting at City Hall. Basically, if it can’t be blue and white, they don’t want to do it.
Also, the interfaith ceremony apparently fizzled out when city leaders realized they had to invite an imam, too. After all, the whole idea was likely presented by Lago to appease a pro-Israel base that could help fund his future political ambitions. And they did not want to share the stage with those people. That’s what it looks like.
The city has said it was postponed due to a Jewish holiday and the unavailability of rabbis to attend, but las malas lenguas say they were faced with backlash from the Jewish community and an email to Ladra from Gables Spokeswoman Martha Pantin didn’t mention the holiday. “A new date and further details have not yet been finalized,” she wrote Oct. 2. She never did respond to a question asking why the date had been changed. Some kind of “interfaith ceremony” at some point — though nobody seems to know when, where, or what that will look like — is the kind of vague non-answer that usually means everyone’s trying to move on without saying so out loud.
What started as a supposed symbolic gesture from Lago has turned into a full-blown political headache — and, in the end, the city just decided to skip the whole thing. No flag. No blue-and-white lights. No vigil. Just the lingering tension of a community reminded that even the City Beautiful isn’t immune to global divides.
Is there even going to be a banner? Because Ladra knows there was a lot of concern about the date on it.
Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, perhaps sensing the consistent heat, asked staff before the Sept. 25 meeting to design a banner that could be hung instead of the Israeli flag. What they came up with is two white doves over the Earth and underneath the date Oct. 7. The messages “In Remembrance,” “May Peace Prevail” and “Honoring those who lost their lives” are also on the banner.
Anderson said it was a way to “honor all individuals that were victims of war … and to support peace.”
But if that were true, she might have left the date off. While the terrible attack of Oct. 7 killed somewhere around 1,200 people and led to the taking of more than 200 hostages by Hamas, the reaction by Israel has already led to the deaths of more than 65,000 Palestinians, including children who are being starved to death because humanitarian aid doesn’t make it to the refugees.
Lago first proposed the hair-raising flag raising at the first meeting in September but deferred after some residents pushed back and even Commissioner Richard Lara, in a rare show of independence, seemed resistant. Lago said he wanted other ideas. But he didn’t really.
Read related: Op-Ed by Michael Rosenberg: KFHA ‘In One Room – Together’ was a success
“If it was up to me and it was only me going to vote on this issue, I would raise the flag,” the mayor said Sept. 25, clearly still standing by his original proposal — even if nobody else was. He claimed the move was “not about marginalizing any community,” though many residents said that’s exactly how it felt. Commissioners heard from multiple residents at the meeting, and every single one who spoke on the flag issue said they were against raising it.
“Raising a foreign flag is inherently political,” said one resident who identified as Catholic and Palestinian. “Imagine if you only raised a Palestinian flag — some residents would feel upset and excluded. And they would be justified.
“I would be here speaking on their behalf.”
Attorney Jalel Shehadeh, a member of both the Florida Muslim Bar Association and the Palestinian American Bar Association who lives on North Greenway Drive, was more blunt about this “totally unnecessary endeavor.
“A vote for this is an endorsement of genocide…  and would be a public statement from the city that it differentiates between its residents,” Shehadeh said.
In his defense for the indefensible, L’Ego said he had heard from both Jewish and Catholic residents. “They didn’t see this as anti-Palestinian,” he said. Interestingly that he didn’t say Muslims or Palestinians, but he had also heard from them.
Martha Schoolman, an FIU professor who said her father was a rabbi, called the proposal “an act of deeply offensive war mongering out of touch with the views of many in this community,” that ignored how many Jewish families are being torn apart over the issue. “This is a genocide — a nearly completed one. Who is this commission to rub salt in the wounds of our community?”
Some residents seemed dismayed that the mayor, after having gotten so much pushback, would still want to move forward with the flag. “Despite dozens of emails and calls from residents to reconsider, here we are again,” said Katherine Shehadeh.
It’s worth repeating that not one speaker supported the flag-raising. Not one. In two meetings, the only person who spoke in favor was South Miami Javier Fernandez, a land use attorney at City Hall to lobby on something else, who just came back from an all-expense trip to Israel paid for by the Jewish Federation of Broward. Katie Shehadeh called him a “paid propagandist.”
Maybe Lago is angling for a free junket?
Read related: Miami-Dade still deep in Israel bonds despite budget woes — and genocide
Well, he may not get it. Because the commissioners listened to the residents and decided that foreign policy doesn’t belong on the flagpole at City Hall. The city has previously raised flags for other causes, like LGBTQ+ pride and autism awareness. But those were, arguably, local and inclusive, not a stance on an international war that’s left more than 65,000 Palestinians dead since Israel’s military response began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Still, Lago tried to frame the flag-raising as apolitical, a simple gesture of solidarity with a country that shares American values. And he wasn’t happy with the backpedalling. He went on W Radio last week to defend his idea and take a few jabs at his colleagues.
“We are not talking about Palestine and Gaza,” Lago said. “We are not talking about the problems we all know are happening in the Middle East. We are talking about 1,200 Jewish people who lost their lives to Hamas, 1,200 human beings.”
Because, apparently, the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in the Israeli response are not human beings?
Then Lago accused Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez — who had supported the compromise lighting — of “politicizing the issue.” He even tossed in a mention of their vote to raise commissioner salaries, because why not?
But he forgot to say that Lara was also uncomfortable with it. And Anderson worked on the compromise banner. The mayor is all alone on this hill.
Asked about Palestinian suffering, Lago said his heart goes out to all victims, “but a lot of the 65,000 were soldiers with Hamas.”
That’s not going to help heal any wounds, Mayor. It’s also another blatant mistruth from Lyin’ Lago. But that ignores leaked classified documents that say the Isreali military intelligence database indicates 83% of Palestinians killed in Gaza are civilians.
Coral Gables, like many communities grappling with how — or even whether — to acknowledge global tragedies, found itself walking a tightrope in the past few weeks. This time, at least, it looks like commissioners chose balance over bluster.
But the tension may not be over yet. Castro has said that she may try again at the next commission meeting to promote some type of event that will unite the community instead of dividing them.
Good luck with that.
If you like this kind of independent watchdog journalism, please consider making a contribution here to Political Cortadito. Thank you for your support!
The post Coral Gables commission backs off Israeli flag at City Hall after backlash appeared first on Political Cortadito.

Read Full Story