The late Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes, who probably would have run for mayor if he hadn’t gotten sick and died last week at the age of 80, will get a proper statesman’s funeral procession and his casket will get a drive by past City Hall Wednesday morning, where there will be a special tribute ceremony open to the pubic at 10:30 a.m., before the funeral mass at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Little Havana.
Meanwhile, Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo and his supporters will be preparing for his mayoral campaign kick-off fundraiser hours later Wednesday night on Krome Avenue.
Tacky, tacky. Talk about bad taste. Ladra hopes nobody shows.
Carollo told Political Cortadito Monday that he didn’t plan the party at El Toro Loco Ranch — an “adventure farm” with ponies, a petting zoo and ATVs for riding on the five-acre property — which is being thrown by his political action committee, Miami First. And that it wasn’t his fault that it was on the same day as Reyes’ burial.
Read related: Miami Commission will meet to try to replace Manolo Reyes, who died at 80
It only seems like Crazy Joe is dancing on the man’s grave!
“One, let me be very clear: I don’t control people that want to throw fundraisers for PACs,” Carollo told Ladra on the telephone Monday, after he probably answered it by mistake. He even asked who it was. The caller ID must have failed.
Carollo also said that the fundraiser was planned “long before Manolo died” and then deflected, as Carollo is wont to do.

“Why don’t you ask Eileen Higgins, Ken Russell and the great colonel of the swamp, Emilio Gonzalez, if they had any respect for Reyes by filing to run for mayor while Manolo was sick,” Carollo said, referring to Miami-Dade Commissioner Higgins, former Miami Commissioner and congressional candidate Ken Russell and former Miami City Manager Gonzalez. He added that he had not yet decided that he would run for mayor.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” said Carollo, who is termed out of his district seat, so he has to go somewhere. And Miami First already has $1.7 million or so sitting in the bank account, according to the latest campaign finance records.
And Shangri La doesn’t really exist, you know?
Carollo did not return subsequent phone calls or a text message asking if he could have the event rescheduled, which everyone knows he could do and would be the decent thing to do. But, then again, he is Carollo. Decency is a stranger.
The fundraising kickoff is on the edge of the Everglades, probably as far from the city of Miami as one could get. It seems appropriate, because Carollo is acting like a reptile and we already know he doesn’t care for the city.
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In the final three months before his re-election last week, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago raised more than $389,000 for his political action committee, Coral Gables First, spending almost $330,000 on direct mail, email, text messaging, digital ads, political consulting, canvassing, polls and fundraising.
These contributions did not become public until two days after the election, in the first quarter 2025 campaign finance report that was filed Thursday. And they only include contributions and expenses made through March 31, leaving more than a week out before the April 8 election.
Read related: Vince Lago, Rhonda Anderson handily coast to re-election in Coral Gables
They include some interesting financial commitments from some interesting sources:

$50,000 from real estate developer Stuart Miller, executive chairman and co-chief executive officer of Lennar Corporation.
$25,000 from real estate developer Dagrosa Capital Partners, where Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is senior partner.
$20,000 in 20 separate $1,000 checks from real estate investor Tomas Cabrerizo.
$15,000 from investor Rafael Villoldo, who launched a scent with Donald Trump in 2012 when the former was vice president of Perfumania.
$12,000 from attorney Gonzalo Dorta, who is representing Lago in his lawsuit against Actualidad Radio.
$10,000 from The Calta Group, which is building Via Veneto, a luxury development of 10 three-story townhouses on Palermo Avenue with pre-construction prices starting $5.7 million.
$10,000 from Boston Capital, an asset management company that owns a mini storage facility in Kendall.
$10,000 from Republican super donor Max Alvarez of Sunshine Gasoline Distributors.
$7,500 from Andres Rodriguez, owner of The Salty Donut.
$5,000 from real estate investor Pablo Cejas.
$5,000 from the PAC that belongs to former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, the same PAC that got more than $200,000 in contributions that were flagged as bribes from the owners of a private school the commissioner wanted to gift a public park to. He was arrested on bribery and money laundering charges in 2023 that were later dropped.

Maybe that last one was a you scratch my back situation, since Lago gave ADLP’s PAC $5,000 in 2023, just six weeks before the latter was arrested.
Some of Lago’s expenses are interesting also, like the $22,575 (plus $8,500 last year) that went to Emiliano Antuñez, who also worked on the campaign for Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, mostly for door-knocking. That’s nothing compared to the more than $110,000 paid to head campaign consultant Jesse Manzano just since January.
Other expenses include $45,000 worth of TV and cable advertising, more than $35,000 in direct mail, more than 33,200 in phone banks, more than $15,000 in photo and video production, and $27,740 on his digital footprint and social media, not including $16,250 in media consulting paid to Daniel Bustamante. And that is just in the past few weeks.
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago rakes in campaign funds, much from developers
When added together, the $478,475 raised in Lago’s campaign account and the $389,000 raised for his PAC just this year, the total is $867,475. Doing more math shows that if you divide that by the 5,577 people who voted for Vinnie the Liar, the mayor basically paid $155.55 for each vote. And that’s not counting the PAC money from 2024. It’s probably more around $200.
In comparison, Commissioner Kirk Menendez, who lost with 38% of the vote, raised $32,500 for his PAC, The Coral Gables Way. A third of that was from different firefighters unions and another third was from real estate interests. Added to the $41,000 raised in his campaign account — which is almost as much as Lago spent just on text messages since January — that’s total of $73,500 through March 31. Divided by the 3,792 people who voted for him, that’s $19.38 per vote.
Both those figures will very likely go up once we get the campaign finance reports for the first eight days in April. But one thing that won’t change is the lopsided funding in this race and the special interests investments.
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Everybody knew the veto was coming, even before it was announced.
In the days before her deadline Friday to veto a measure passed by the commission to stop adding fluoride to the county’s tap water, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (1) assembled a group of pro-fluoride dentists and medical experts and parents to provide a recommendation and (2) had her political team conduct a poll that showed a majority of residents support the fluoridation of our water.
It was like she was making a case, gathering the evidence she needed to prove her point, which is that fluoride, in small doses, is not harmful and actually better for public health by providing dental protection across the board to communities that maybe can’t afford good preventative care.
“This is not a decision that I take lightly,” Levine Cava said Friday, at a press conference against a wall of white lab coats, or medical experts, and parents supporting her position. “Water fluoridation at low levels is a safe and effective way of preventing tooth decay. Halting it could have long term and wide reaching health consequences, especially for our most vulnerable families.
“The science is very clear,” Levine Cava added. “The decision to stop adding fluoride to Miami-Dade’s water ignores the guidance of dentists and medical experts who are overwhelmingly trusted by our residents on this issue.”
Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez — who sponsored the measure, which passed 8-2 on April 1 — would need nine of the 13 commissioners to overturn the veto, if all the same show up. That means Levine Cava is counting on the three who were absent — apparently, they stepped off the dais — to agree with her on fluoridation. Or maybe someone who voted for the resolution will be swayed by the overwhelming evidence she laid out.

The press conference was still in full swing when Gonzalez posted his reaction on social media, urging his colleagues to ignore the mayor’s case, titled “Commissioners take bipartisan bold step forward, mayor hits the brakes.”
Cute.
“I want to commend my colleagues on the county commission for coming together as pubic servants in a bipartisan, wide margin vote to ut pubic health above partisan politics. Unfortunately, our mayor has not done the same,” Gonzalez said in his post.
Read related: Miami-Dade taxpayers fund $1 mil move for Commissioner Rob Gonzalez
“By vetoing this bipartisan resolution, our mayor is acting like a typical politician, relying on partisan pollsters and tired talking points while putting people’s health at risk, especially pregnant women, infants, children and other vulnerable groups,” Gonzalez added. “Removing fluoride from our drinking water has received overwhelming scientific and public support including from state to national levels of government.”
Well, who’s making it partisan? That’s right: This move of his is coming on the heels of Republican sponsored bills in Florida that would eliminate fluoride in the water statewide.
Fluoride is a component of fluorine, one of the top 20 most common elements on the surface of the Earth. It has been added to the county’s water since 1958, according to local, state and national standards, to help prevent tooth decay and strengthen enamel, especially among children. Gonzalez and those who support the resolution say that was before it was added to toothpaste and that studies since have shown it poses health risks, such as a lower IQ.
But local health leaders and national medical groups, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, say fluoride in low levels, such as the 0.7 miligrams per liter in Miami-Dade tap water — which is the amount recommended by the American Dental Assocation — is safe and effective in reducing dental problems.
The studies that indicated issues used levels that were twice as high, said Levine Cava, who cited other cities that experienced an increase in cavities and other dental issues after fluoride was removed, including Buffalo, NY, where officials had to add fluoride back to the water after a class action lawsuit that may cost taxpayers $160 million. Other ramifications, she said, include children missing school because of tooth pain, parents missing work and families “facing additional financial strain.”
To make matters worse, the decision to take the fluoride out of the drinking water within 30 days followed a “hasty process,” Levine Cava said.
“There was no committee hearing, there was no real chance for residents and experts on both sides to weigh in,” she said. “A decision that affects every person who turns on their tap in Miami-Dade County should only happen after meaning input from our residents and experts.”
At Friday’s press conference, Levine Cava had local dentist Beatriz Terrry, immediate past president of the Florida Dental Association, who basically stole the show when she spoke about the benefits of having fluoride in the water and what she called a “fluoridation disparity” that would be created if it were removed.

“Water fluoridation is critically important to the dental health of our community,” Terry said. “Fluoride in our water helps strengthen enamel, preventing and resisting decay.
“Water fluoridation is a public health measure that benefits everyone, regardless of age, income, education or access to dental care. It especially helps our underserved populations who may not be able to afford regular dental visits, fluoride treatments or even fluoridated toothpaste,” Terry said. “I’ve heard that discussion, people can purchase fluoridated toothpaste and solve the problem, but not everybody can buy fluoridated toothpaste.”
“As a 30-year practicing dentist, I never thought this was an issue we would have to tackle,” she said, adding that she would advocate for new studies to help bring more focus on the facts. “Some of this research is very old because this is a no-brainer, right? But in the interim, we need to keep it in the water.”
Read related: Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins could join Miami Mayor’s race
We can believe the dentist — who is married to a dentist and has three kids — because she is advocating against her own personal self interest. “If we took it out of the water, I would be in business for a long time,” Terry joked. No, but it’s true. She also said that she has treated people who grew up without fluoridated water who have had issues with tooth decay.
Also, by the way, she is a Republican super voter. So, she’s not making it partisan.
According to the poll, conducted by Edge Communications (political consultant Christian Ulvert‘s firm), most Miami-Dade residents strongly support or somewhat support the status quo, or adding fluoride to the water. It also shows that residents trusts dentists over politicians — well, duh — and that Levine Cava is the “most trusted public official” among a number of national figures and, inexplicably, The Miami Herald (which scored a lower approval rating than Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., btw). Also interesting: Nobody knows quien carajo Florida Surgeon General Joseph Lapado is.
Lapado is supporting legislation that would take fluoride out of tap water statewide anyway, which might make this moot.

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Memorial services for the popular public servant Tuesday, Wednesday
After a battle against cancer, Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes — who lived his lifelong dream when he was elected in 2017 — died after being hospitalized late last week, hours after several speakers at the commission meeting Thursday where he was absent, sent him and his family thoughts and prayers.
Reyes had been attending the past few commission meetings remote while fighting off a cold that apparently turned into pneumonia. He was admitted on Friday night and ended up in the intensive care unit before passing. There will be a public viewing Tuesday and Wednesday at Caballero Rivero Westchester, 8200 Bird Road, and a mass at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 2987 W. Flagler St.
On Thursday, the city commission will have a special meeting to discuss the filling of the vacancy created — because everyone knows it’s going to be much harder, if not impossible to fill the hole Reyes leaves in the community.
There are two options. The city commission could decide on a special election. Or it could make an appointment and put the seat on the November ballot with the mayoral and other commission races (Districts 3 and 5), which is more likely since the election is less than seven months away.
“Prospective appointees,” as the city clerk’s office calls them, need to complete a Vacancy Affidavit of Appointment, State of Florida Candidate Oath and a Form 1 2024 Statement of Financial Interests at the meeting. These forms can be reviewed online at https://miami.gov/cityclerk or in person at the Office of the City Clerk located at Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Dr.
Ladra expects potential candidates to include Ralph Rosado and Denise Galvez Turros, who likely would have run if Reyes had run for mayor. Venture capitalist Rafael “Ralph” Cabrera, president-elect of the Latin Builders Association and the apparent heir apparent, might not qualify if he hasn’t lived in the district for at least a year.
Read related: 2025 Miami Commission contests could be battles between some known names
Someone might eventually sit in the chair on the dais that formerly belonged to Commissioner Reyes, who was a beloved community leader, especially in his district but also citywide. But they’re going to be hard pressed to replace him.
Reyes was known for constituent services, which he said was the most important part of his job, which he honestly took seriously as a public servant. He called it a devotion. After he was elected on his fifth or sixth try in 2017 with 57% of the vote, he was unopposed in 2019 and 2023. Either nobody dared to run against him or nobody wanted to.

He may have been wrong sometimes. Like when he formed part of the three amigos, siding with Commissioner Joe Carollo and former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla on things like sponsoring a measure to limit recalls, firing former Police Chief Art Acevedo and supporting ADLP’s return to the chairmanship of the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency after his aide was caught running errands and drinking and driving on city time.
But Reyes was on the right side of most issues.
Reyes was the sole consistent vote against the Miami Freedom Park project. He only voted in favor of the most recent amendment to the agreement that returns $10 million meant or citywide parks to the developers for the on-site 58-acre park that is part of their real estate complex. He said it was to respect voters’ wishes. But he was an outspoken critic of the whole giveaway from the beginning.
Read related: Manolo Reyes to the rescue; Miami commissioner wants more transparency
He was also the first to suggest that the city hire an outside auditing firm to conduct a forensic audit of all the Community Redevelopment Agencies and any board where electeds are chair — like the Bayfront Park Management Trust, which recently came under scrutiny for misspending and corruption allegations by two former employees in a whistleblower lawsuit.
It’s like Reyes was psychic. Or experienced. Or just plan observant.
Reyes was also the one to champion the change from auditor general to inspector general, with subpoena power to investigate corruption citywide, which was passed by almost 80% of the voters last August..
And, in 2022, Reyes changed his position about redistricting after many Coconut Grove residents spoke out against being divided into separate districts, and told the city’s consultants to return the part that had been drawn into District 4 back into District 2. So, basically, he listened to the people. Reyes had a tendency to do that.
Manolo Reyes gives an interview at a food distribution event during the COVID pandemic.
More recently, Reyes was the deciding vote on removing Carollo from the chairmanship of the Bayfront Trust. And he was the loudest voice against the lifetime pensions that Commissioner Miguel Gabela wanted to provide himself and his colleagues. Just like he was against it in 2019 when former commissioner Keon Hardemon, who has moved on to the county, tried to get pensions passed. He said he was elected without a pension and voters didn’t put him there to give himself one. He got us.
Whatever small faults Reyes may have had — he was gullible, and could hold a grudge with the best of ’em — it’s still that kind of selflessness that truly defined Reyes’ time in public service. In fact, Ladra is certain that there should be a street named after Reyes soon. Or maybe a building for seniors would be better.
Read related: Finally! Manolo Reyes looks real good in Miami Commission race
He was sort of a role model for other electeds. The Miami Herald recently disclosed that commission candidates would often cite Reyes as the type of commissioner they would want to be.
Sure, the commission can try to replace Reyes this week. Voters might hope to find someone like him. Good luck with that.
His family released the following statement:

With profound sadness we announce the passing of City Commissioner Manolo Reyes.
Manolo cherished his family, especially his three grandsons. He loved his many, many friends all across our great communities. He yearned for a free and democratic Cuba. And he was a proud and enthusiastic Florida Gator.
His generous heart especially belonged to the residents of District 4 and all others living throughout his beloved City. Serving as a City Commissioner was Manolo’s great, lifelong dream fulfilled. He energetically served his City with passion, honor and integrity every day.
When he was diagnosed with cancer some time ago, Manolo did not let his illness define him; instead, he became even more committed to accomplishing the goals he had established for himself and his City staff, beginning with his election in 2017. Manolo’s ear always was attuned to “the little guy,” the least among us, and he met with and counseled constituents up until only a few days before his recent hospitalization.
Manolo faced his health challenges in much the same manner he faced his political campaigns: With plain-spoken leadership, with great personal courage, and with an unwavering determination to win. In the end, Manolo’s life of unquestioned character, high moral purpose and commitment to public service delivered his greatest victory of all: He won the reward of reuniting with his Lord in Heaven, resting in eternal glory and peace.
When asked recently how he wished to be remembered, Manolo humbly said: “As a man who fulfilled his solemn duties, to his family and to his community; as a man whose word was his bond, and upon whose handshake could be relied, and who never had a corrupt thought in his entire life.”
Manolo is survived by his wife of 56 years, Chacha Reyes; daughter Meily and husband Antonio Rios; son Manny and wife Adriana Pereira-Reyes; grandsons, Maximo, Matthew and Daniel; sisters Mayda Rodriguez and Merle Reyes; his adored nieces and their husbands and extended family; many beloved friends and his exceptional City staff that were his District 4 family.
He was preceded in death by his sister Maika Reyes, his mother Eduviges Ortiz, and his hero, role model and political inspiration, his father Ernesto “Payes” Reyes.

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The Miami mayoral race this November is getting interesting — and we don’t just mean the announcement this week that former Miami City Commissioner Emilio Gonzalez has formally filed to run, making good on rumors that he’s helped spread since early last year.
Who’s next? Former Miami Mayor and county commissioner Xavier Suarez, father of the actual incumbent Mayor Francis Suarez? Or Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado?
All three of them were on a SurveyMonkey poll texted to Miami voters last week asking them to provide first choice, second choice and third choice options. So were Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins and former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell, who had already filed WHEN. Also on the list: Current Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo and former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who was suspended after his 2023 arrest on public corruption charges related to the giveaway of a public park that were later dropped by the Broward State Attorney’s Office, neither of whom have yet filed any paperwork but both of whom have repeatedly and widely threatened to run.
But there were only four runoff scenarios presented in the version of the poll that Ladra saw: Carollo vs. Regalado or Higgins vs. Regalado or Carollo vs. Higgins or Carollo vs. Diaz de la Portilla. Carollo being in three out of four potential second rounds could be an ominous sign.
Or it could be his poll. Nobody has taken responsibility.
Read related: Long list of potential 2025 Miami mayoral candidates starts to take form
Diaz de la Portilla seems to be campaigning. His Instagram has photos of him talking with constituents — like knocking on doors? — and echoing the extreme political line of President Donald Trump and his minions, clearly positioning himself early on as the Trump candidate. Why not? He’s got that same “persecuted by the Democrat machine” thing going.
On Tuesday night, Diaz de la Portilla posted a photo of him and newly-reelected Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago at Lago’s victory party on Miracle Mile.
“Congratulations to my friend Vince Lago on his re-election as Mayor of the City of Coral Gables! Last night, the residents of the City Beautiful won by choosing to reelect a true public servant, who now has a mandate to continue to serve his constituents with a true vision for the future and leadership,” Diaz de la Portilla posted on his Instagram.
ADLP went to Lago’s 2021 party, too.
Carollo is competing for that Trump cheerleader role in the race on his weekday morning radio show (more on that later), where he’s also already attacking Higgins. Ladra can’t wait to hear what he has to say about Gonzalez. But he may have a problem if Commissioner Damian Pardo gets his way Thursday with a proposed referendum that would provide for lifetime term limits. If it passes, Carollo, who has already served two terms as mayor, would be ineligible to run.
Pardo has said that he is not targeting Crazy Joe with the proposed amendment. But it would only apply to Carollo, who was mayor WHEN WHEN, and Suarez, who was mayor from 1985 to 1993 and again from 1997 to 1998 — thought that last term was cut short by absentee ballot fraud so X might say he didn’t really serve two full terms.
Read related: Voters in Miami may get to strengthen term limits and ban political retreads
Russell was on NBC6’s Impact with Jackie Nespral last weekend and said he supported Pardo’s proposed referendum.
“We keep seeing the same people coming back and getting reelected. Half the people I served with there have mugshots. But they continue to get re-elected, and family members and its a lot of these names that we know,” Russell said. “I’m not attacking them personally. I want a system that attracts new blood for the future of Miami to have the potential it has.
“Once the system of government changes, it’s going to attract better talent to run for office.”
Russell, who said he had already raised more than $100,000, said he has really enjoyed his time off since leaving office in 2023 (he resigned to run for Congress) and did not intend to return to government. “I’m telling you, it sucks you back in,” he told Nespral. “There is so much going wrong with the city of Miami. As great as the city is, it’s governance is horrible.
“It’s embarrassing. We all see it on the news every day. The pay to play is alive and well. The corruption in terms of lawsuits. Tens of thousands of dollars have been spent defending the unethical behavior of commissioners,” said Russell, who is an avid TikToker.
He has said that as mayor, he would actually show up to commission meetings and serve as chair of the commission. He would also advance a change to expand the commission from five to at least seven members and work to reverse or mitigate the commission vote made in February at the behest of Mayor Francis Suarez to let the developers of the Miami Freedom Park real estate complex and soccer stadium off the hook for funding $10 million in public parks throughout the city.
Read related: Miami Freedom Park gets its full $20 million back for 58-acre public park
“Over 100 acres of new parks that were to be funded in the city are now being undone… If I’m in office, this is a very easy fix. These parks can be funded by the folks that need to pay for them. They can and they will,” said Russell, who filed bar complaints against Suarez and former City Attorney Victoria “Vicky” Mendez after the vote to give the developers back the $10 mil. They were dismissed immediately.
Gonzalez, a former director for U.S. Immigrations and Citizenship Services, was on WPLG’s This Week in South Florida in February, talking about national immigration issues. He served as city manager from 2018 to early 2020, when he resigned amid a political battle with the City Commission and accusations from Carollo that he had abused his position to avoid code enforcement violations on his home deck. An ethics investigation later found that Gonzalez committed no wrongdoing.
Carollo also tried to fire Gonzalez in 2019. And Russell was one of the no votes that thwarted it.
Commissioner Higgins posted a campaign launch video that starts with news footage of the corruption that’s been swirling around Miami City Hall for years.
Read related: Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins could join Miami Mayor’s race
“We’ve had enough. Families are struggling. Businesses can’t thrive. When City Hall is filled with corruption, nothing gets done
for the people,” Higgins says in the 81-second video, where she speaks a little bit of Spanish, too.
“I’m running for mayor to get things done,” La Gringa says. “I’ve delivered for your as your county commissioner,” she said, citing her experience in affordable housing, helping small businesses and creating and protecting green spaces. “Miami, now I’m ready to go to work for you.”
She ends the video with a reminder of how she was first elected to the county commission in an upset against Zoraida Barreiro, wife of former Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro, when La Gringa was relatively unknown. Alex Diaz de la Portilla was in that race, too, but didn’t make the runoff.
“In 2018, we beat the odds. With your support we’ll do it again,” Higgins says. “Miami, this is our time. Nuestro momento.”
The post Miami mayoral race keeps getting more interesting with new candidates, polls appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Developers are pushing forward plans to demolish a significant portion of Miami First Presbyterian Church, one of Brickell’s last remaining historically designated landmarks, to make way for an 80-story, mega high-rise tower.
But the Brickell community has mobilized, formed a dedicated resident committee, Brickell Stronger Together, and submitted a formal appeal to contest what they say is the unjust declassification of the church’s historic designation. Or part of the church property, anyway. The item will be heard at Thursday’s city commission meeting. The appeal is formally submitted by Lawrence Silverman on behalf of IconBrickell Condominium No. Two Association.
Developer darling lobbyist Iris Escarra is representing the church, which wants to sell the back lot — now rented to a school and food trucks on occasion — to developers who want to build an 80-story residential tower at 619 Brickell.
Founded by Henry Flagler, the church, at 609 Brickell Avenue, is considered a focal point in the community’s heritage. A development there could reportedly disturb a mausoleum and native burial grounds. The congregation, which is active to this day, was founded in 1896, before the city of Miami was founded, originally in a downtown location. Much of the architectural features were saved and transported to the new location, giving it its historic, Mediterranean style, and its landmark designation.
Read related: Effort to dissolve Miami DDA cites ‘bloated’ salaries, redundancy, UFC gift
Critics of the plan say that more concrete will also add to Brickell’s already insufferable flooding and more residential units will bring more nightmare traffic. Last year, the city’s historic preservation board voted to amend the 2003 historic designation of the church property by shrinking its boundaries to exclude the back lot, making way for the development.

Ernesto Cuesta, president of the Brickell Homeowners Association, which represents more than 90,000 residents, is supporting the appeal, “to prioritize the voices of the community over the interests of developers.” He told Political Cortadito that he would not be able to attend the meeting Thursday, but wrote a letter to commissioners on Wednesday expressing his position.
“The Brickell community has long championed a balanced approach to development — one that respects historical integrity while accommodating thoughtful progress,” Cuesta wrote. “We support the historic preservation of the entire church. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.”
Read related: Miami may sell historic building’s Brickell lot to private developers
The church has already entered into a “transaction and development agreement” in 2022 that provides the developers, 13th Floor Investments and Key International, the right to acquire the property and doesn’t change the actual footprint of the church building, leaving it adjacent to the new high-rise. This would still alter the historic nature of the church, opponents say.
While the developer has marketed their plans for a luxury, waterfront condominium tower as part of the “Manhattan of the South” vibe that Brickell has going on, residents worry about increased traffic congestion, heightened noise and air pollution, endangerment of ancient trees and green canopy, as well as the closure of a neighborhood school, Key Point Christian Academy.
The proposal has attracted the attention of Carolina Isabela Florez, better known as Caro the Tour Guide, who has quite the local following of South Florida history lovers on Instagram.

If you want to see more stories like this, empowering community voices in local government, please consider making a donation to Political Cortadito to keep local independent watchdog journalism strong. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

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