Ironically, lawmakers want to repeal Parkland gun law
 
The inevitable barrage of “thoughts and prayers” is coming.
A mass shooting Thursday at Florida State University in Tallahassee ended with the death of two people and the injury of five others. Phoenix Ikner, a 20-year-old political science student, was taken into custody. The son of a former sheriff’s deputy reportedly used his mother’s service gun. CNN reported that other students said he had expressed extreme right, anti-diversity views on campus.
That hasn’t been independently confirmed and there are certainly going to be other factors involved. There are still details being learned today.
But what we do know is that this is the sixth mass shooting in Florida just since January, according to Wikipedia.
And yet, about a mile from the FSU campus at the state capital, the Republican-led Florida Legislature is actually considering a repeal of the gun control law that was passed weeks after the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, in which 17 people were gunned down by a 19-year-old with a semi-automatic rifle, which basically stopped most people under 21 from purchasing certain types of guns and rifles. They can still get one as a gift, which should also be illegal.
Read related: Florida Republican aims to undo post Parkland gun laws
In fact, the repeal passed the Florida House last month in a 78-34 vote mostly along party lines. It could die in the Senate, where similar bills have died in 2023 — when lawmakers did pass the open carry law — and 2024 . But why is it even being considered?
On Thursday, as the events took place at FSU, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis posted the same ol’, same ol’ on his social media.
“Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding,” DeSantis said. Like a robot. Like on cue.
It’s the state legislature that has to respond — with real action and gun reform that makes senses, not by taking us backwards with just words and thoughts and prayers.
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Former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who has repeatedly said he is running for Miami mayor and has reportedly been campaigning, hasn’t filed any paperwork yet with the city clerk’s office indicating that he’s going to run. But his political action committee, Proven Leadership for Miami-Dade County, spent almost $108,000 in the past three months on expenses, including two political consultants, according to the campaign finance report for the first quarter of the year.
Veteran campaign designer and absentee ballot queen Sasha Tirador got $5,000 in January and another $5,000 in February for her consultation. It’s going to be hard to swallow her anti-corruption, anti-Trump spiel on her podcast now. Axel Turcios of New York City, got paid a total of $20,400 since January for “consulting services.”
Other reported expenses include $18,000 plus on “event supplies,” $13,000 on printing services, $3,549 on rental cars, almost $900 in gas, $4,700 on postage, $787 on food, $200 on voter data, $1,200 to a mail house, and $28,400 on wages, which indicates Diaz de la Portilla has a campaign staff. That includes Julio Guillen, who once had a ghost job at the city with a salary paid by taxpayers and could be angling for a new job if ADLP is elected in this crazy world.
Read related: Ethics board: Miami’s ADLP had three ‘ghost’ employees on taxpayers’ dime
Guillen was caught building a fence on Diaz de la Portilla’s agricultural property on Krome Avenue in the middle of a weekday afternoon while he was being paid $63,000 a year by the city.
The PAC also paid for a subscription to The Miami Herald — so don’t let Diaz de la Portilla tell you. he doesn’t read it — and made a $5,000 contribution to Coral Gables First, the PAC for newly re-elected Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago.
Oddly, the PAC didn’t report any contributions. So Ladra is looking for the new one.
Diaz de la Portilla has not officially announced or opened a campaign account for his mayoral campaign. But he has been actively engaging with voters, according to his social media platforms, which also look like he’s positioning himself as the Donald Trump candidate. So is Commissioner Joe Carollo, who has also announced widely that he is running for mayor.
Carollo has more than $1.7 million in the bank for his PAC Miami First, according to its latest campaign finance report. ADLP had less than $44,000 left on March 31.
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Former State House Rep. and Miami Beach Commissioner David Richardson, a Democrat who lost last year’s tax collector race, filed paperwork on Wednesday to run for Miami-Dade Commission in District 5, where Eileen Higgins sits now. Higgins announced earlier this month that she was going to run for Miami mayor.
Richardson, who did not make any public announcement or issue any press release on his candidacy, told Political Cortadito in a text message late Thursday that he would talk about it on Friday.
Higgins announced her candidacy on April 2, about an hour or so after it was posted on Political Cortadito that she intended to do so. She has joined a crowded field of declared candidates that include former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell, former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez, perennial candidates Max Martinez, Michael Hepburn and June Savage, and someone named Ijamyn Joseph Gray. Not declared but campaigning anyway are Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo and former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla. Who knows? There may be a surprise.
“I love this city, and I’m running for Mayor to get things done — because I believe in the power of public service to improve people’s lives,” Higgins said in a statement. “From affordable housing to transit to thriving small businesses, I’ve delivered results that matter. As Mayor, I’ll continue doing what I’ve always done: listening to our community, solving problems, and making sure Miami works for everyone who calls our city home.
“Our residents want a city where they can build a future, raise a family, and count on local government to get the job done – that’s the leadership I bring,” she continued. “As your County Commissioner, I’ve been proud to fight for our community and deliver real results. Now, I’m ready to bring that momentum to City Hall – clearing obstacles for residents and small businesses, and creating a city that’s affordable, connected, and full of opportunity.”
Read related: Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins could join Miami Mayor’s race
Lots of names have been kicked around as potential replacements for Higgins on the county dais. In addition to Richardson, las malas lenguas say there could be interest from former Miami Commissioner Joe Sanchez, who lost the Republican primary for Miami-Dade Sheriff last year, and former Pinecrest Councilwoman Anna Hochkammer, executive director of Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition — a political committee focused on reproductive rights — who recently moved into the district with her boyfriend, former Congressman Joe Garcia.
Richardson was first elected to the Florida House in 2012, one of the first two openly gay members of the legislature (the other was Joe Saunders of Orlando). In 2014, Richardson was re-elected to his second term in the legislature without opposition. In 2016, he got 64% of the vote in a district that was 60% Hispanic. In 2019, he was elected city commissioner in Miami Beach.
In between he bounced around with attempts to run for state senate and for state House again in a redrawn district.
Last Nov. 5, Richardson, a forensic accountant by profession, lost the tax collector’s race to Dariel Fernandez, who won with 56%, in what was really a Trump Train for the Republican candidates in all the constitutional offices. His consultant is Christian Ulvert, who is also the campaign and political consultant for Eileen Higgins, keeping it all in the family.
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Miami-Dade Commissioner Rene Garcia filed paperwork earlier this month to run for mayor in Hialeah, after Esteban “Steve” Bovo announced that he was leaving for a Washington, D.C., lobbying gig. But is Garcia really running?
He didn’t have a press conference to announce his candidacy. There is no announcement post on any of his social media. Garcia filed quietly and without any fanfare — on April Fool’s Day, no less. He’s always had a sly sense of humor. He has also told people and the media that he is not 100% in, and has until qualifying in July to make up his mind.
His campaign is so non-existent that Bovo went on La Poderosa last week, eight days after Garcia filed his paperwork, to say he hoped to persuade Garcia to step up and run for mayor. Like he didn’t know he had already?
Many political observers say this is a ruse and that Garcia does not intend to resign his county commission seat. They say he’s just doing longtime ally Bovo a solid by freezing out the mayor’s sworn enemy, former Councilman Bryan Calvo, with the mere possibility he’s going to run. Garcia, who started his career as a Hialeah council member and went on to serve in the Florida Senate, would easily and immediately be the frontrunner. Anyone who might have donated to Calvo’s campaign might now think twice about that.
It would also discourage any other potential candidates from running for the seat. Already Council Member Jesus Tundidor, who had been a potential mayoral candidate before Garcia barely jumped in, filed paperwork — three days after Garcia did — for the commission seat in District 13 instead. But is he really going to run for county commissioner?
Read related: Hialeah Mayor Steve Bovo exits with pension, names Rene Garcia ‘successor’
Because observers also say that Tundidor could switch with Garcia in July, and step into the mayoral race. The other possibility is that Bovo and his camp support a run by Jacqueline Garcia-Roves, who was council president and is now interim acting mayor. Or someone else altogether. Commissioner Carl Zogby has also expressed interest.
Maybe Rene Garcia’s candidacy is designed to give Bovo and his clan the next two and half months to decide what happens.
But Tundidor’s political action committee, Stronger United, raised $210,000 in the first quarter of this year, according to the campaign finance reports recording transactions from Jan. 1 to the end of March — which was before Garcia filed for Hialeah mayor and before Tundidor filed for county commission. So those donations — which include $25,000 from real estate developer Michaeld Wohl and $10,000 from All American Amusements, a maquinita company that also supported former Mayor Julio Robaina — were most likely for a mayoral campaign. And there’s no way they didn’t happen without Bovo’s okay.
And the bulk of the contributions came on March 11, which was more than a month after the rumors of Bovo’s impending departure were published in the Miami Herald.
“It wouldn’t surprise me one way or another. When it comes to Hialeah, anything is on the table,” said Calvo, who resigned his seat to run for Miami-Dade tax collector last year and lost the Republican primary to Dariel Fernandez. Calvo has also heard the rumors of the ghost candidacy, but said he is not changing his campaign in any way.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m running regardless of who it is against.”
Sen. Garcia told Political Cortadito Thursday that his candidacy was not a political maneuver. “I am considering it seriously” he said, adding that he is “talking to residents and trying to figure it out where I best serve.” The response so far? “Honestly, it’s a mixed bag.”
Read related: Bryan Calvo becomes first candidate to file for November Hialeah mayor’s race
Some people have said they want him to run and others have said that they want him and need him to stay at the county. “That weighs heavily on me,” Garcia said, adding that he’d also be the third county commissioner to step off the dais this year. District 5 Commissioner Eileen Higgins announced earlier this month — the day after Garcia filed for the Hialeah race — that she was running for Miami mayor and District 6 Commissioner Kevin Cabrera, or rather former District 6 commissioner Cabrera, resigned this week and was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Panama.
“If I leave, that’s three new seats on the commission,” said Garcia, who was automatically re-elected last year with no opposition. “I made a commitment to serve for four years.” And he’s doing some important work, he added.
“My priority has always been Northwest Dade,” Garcia said. “That’s the quagmire.”
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Flowers sat on the dais Thursday in the space where Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes usually sat as his colleagues voted to hold a special election June 3 to replace him. The 80-year-old District 4 commissioner died last week after being hospitalized. There was a lovely public tribute Wednesday in front of City Hall before he was laid to rest.
The city commission could have voted Thursday to appoint someone to the seat until the November election — which many thought would happen with the justification of an estimated $180,000 to $380,000 in the estimated cost of a special election —  or to hold a special election for the vacancy, and a term that would end in 2027.
Read related: Miami Commission will meet to try to replace Manolo Reyes, who died at 80
“We are not kingmakers,” said Commission Chair Christine King, adding that an appointed commissioner would have an advantage in the November election. She would have supported appointing someone who didn’t live in District 4 and who couldn’t eventually run as a de facto incumbent. “So we wouldn’t be tipping the scales,” she said. “Six months in office is a lifetime.” It would actually be seven months. But appointing someone outside the district is not allowed — nor should it ever be.
Commissioners Miguel Gabela and Damian Pardo — who is the product of a special election — made it clear that they were not in favor of an appointment.
“At the end of the day, let the best man or woman win,” Gabela said, adding that candidates were already campaigning anyway for the November election and that it would avoid “finger pointing” about special interests and favoritism.
Pardo questioned the $380,000 quoted by City Clerk Todd Hannon — $350K for the election and $30K for notices — and learned that the real cost of the 2023 special election was much higher than the $176,657 that was actually billed by Miami-Dade County.
Qualification will begin April 21 and end on April 25 at 6 p.m. Hannon will reach out to the county to see if early voting can be scheduled for May 30, May 31 and June 1 at the Shenandoah and West Flagler library branches.
Among the candidates expected to jump in is Ralph Rosado, who was at the meeting Thursday and might have thought he would be appointed. Lots of people thought that — Commissioner Joe Carollo even said on his morning radio show that Rosado would be his choice — but las malas lenguas say it would have been a split 2/2 vote and forced a special election anyway.
Rosado, who got a parade of residents to endorse his appointment, expressed his condolences to the commission and Reyes’ family. “He was an exceptional public servant,” he said.
Read related: Miami remembers Manolo Reyes while Joe Carollo kicks off mayoral campaign
But then he quickly went into his pitch.
“It would be the honor of a lifetime to serve with each of you and represent a community that I love so much,” Rosado said, citing his experience as former city manager of North Bay Village (2019-2024), where he prepared the budget, oversaw the police and ran a municipal post office. “I’m ready to hit the ground running,” he told the commissioners.

He’s also the president of Rosado & Associates, which proves “urban planning and neighborhood revitalization strategic services to select local governments, nonprofits, and private clients,” according to his LinkedIn profile. Sounds like a conflict of interest waiting to happen. Maybe that’s why he didn’t mention it at the meeting.
Rosado, who lives in Coral Gate, did talk about his experience on the Miami’s citizen oversight board for the $400 million bond, which has included work on housing, flooding, and parks. He was appointed to the board by Reyes, who beat him in the 2017 election (Rosado got 36%).  He knew better than to challenge Reyes last year. But he’s been campaigning ever since anyway.
“For the last seven years, I have been able to express a deep commitment to this community,” Rosado said, and he told the commissioners about 200 or so trees he’s helped plant in the district, the decontamination of Douglas Park that he advocated for and negotiations he has had with the developers of the old Sears store site to lower the number of residences they plan to build under the exemptions of the Live Local Act. He said these talks were successful. We’ll have to get more on the later.
Read related: 2025 Miami Commission contests could be battles between some known names
He has also reportedly been knocking on doors already in preparation for a race later this year if Reyes had jumped into the mayoral contest, as he had announced he would last year (but before his health took a turn). So he has an advantage in a special election because of his name rec from 2017 and his door knocking this year — and the $268,000 or so he has put away in his political action committee, Citizens for Ethics in Government since November (that includes $100K of his own money, btw).
Rosado supporters said that the city did not have to incur the cost of a special election, which one resident said usually draws a poorer turnout, when they had a qualified and experienced person who could be a “stop gap” until November.
But other people — people who would not benefit from a de facto incumbency like Rosado would — urged for a special election.
“It’s important to let voters decide,” said Brenda Betancourt, who is running for commissioner in District 3. “We have plenty of other ways to save money.” She also reminded the commission that many people probably didn’t know about the special meeting.
Ariel Trueba, the chair of the LGTBQ+ Advisory Board — and Reyes’ appointment to that board — did know about both the meeting and what the city should do.
“As someone born and raised in District 4, I would like to elect my commissioner,” Trueba said.
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Miami-Dade Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera officially resigned his county seat Monday and was then sworn in as the U.S.’s new ambassador to Panama in a packed commission chambers. The next day, Commission Chair Anthony Rodriguez announced the creation of a web portal for residents of District 6 to express intros and submit the necessary documentation to be considered as a potential appointment, which means he could be leaning toward that route rather than having a special election (more on that later).
The Miami-born Cabrera — a Florida International University graduate — thanked his family, friends, the employees of Miami-Dade, his District 6 team and his colleagues for their support, partnership and encouragement since he was elected in 2022. The chambers was packed.
“It’s not even a budget meeting,” Cabrera said as he took the podium right after he was sworn in by Florida Supreme Court Justice John Couriel, where he swore to defend the constitution of the United States. “I’m not sure if you’re here because you like me or because you can’t wait for me to leave,” he joked.
It was probably a little of both.
Cabrera, who served as Florida state director for both the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign in 2020, thanked President Donald Trump and Congress for their trust and said he was committed to the president’s “purpose of restoring strength, respect and purpose to America’s role on the world stage.” He also said he would guided by the question Secretary of State Marco Rubio has as a criteria on foreign policy: “Does this policy make America safer, stronger and more prosperous?”
Read related: Kevin Cabrera tapped as Panama ambassador; so who will replace him?
“That’s a question that will guide me daily,” Cabrera said. “I also carry with me the values I upheld during my time in local government — accessibility, accountability and a focus on getting things done. Those values were not just talking points. They were the foundation  of our work.”
He mentioned some of the things he was proud of — opening district offices and establishing mobile office hours, resurfacing streets, traffic calming measures, securing millions to combat crime, modernizing traffic signals and more — since he was elected in 2022.
‘Though I may be serving abroad, Miami-Dade County will always be home,” Cabrera said, before the crowd erupted in cheers and applause as he walked over and hugged his mom.
Rodriguez, who introduced him, said the diplomatic appointment “of one of our own to such a vital position is a point of pride for our entire community” and lauded Cabrera, his friend, for what he had accomplished in such a short time.
“Serving others is his calling. He listens, sometimes,” Rodriguez said to laughter. “He has earned this moment through years of tireless dedication and I have every confidence he will approach this next chapter with the same integrity and strength that brought him here to this county commission.
“A lifelong public servant, a thoughtful leader and a true bridge builder, Kevin brings not only deep experience to this role, but also a genuine commitment to diplomacy,  rooted in respect, partnership and purpose,” Rodriguez added.
Read related: Who has the best hair? Miami-Dade’s Anthony Rodriguez or Kevin Cabrera
The U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment of Cabrera — made in December when Trump praised Cabrera’s service regional experience. “Few understand Latin American politics as well as Kevin,” — last week.
Nine days earlier, Cabrera had time to cut the ribbon on the newly enhanced Brothers to the Rescue Memorial Park at 2420 SW 72nd Ave., which is one of the region’s most popular recreational spaces for baseball and softball, with new ADA-compliant bleachers and walkways, updated fountains and new lights and security fencing, among other enhancements. It was named in honor of individuals who risked their lives — and four of them were shot down and killed over international waters by the Cuban government in 1996 — to help Cuban-American rafters survive the crossing of the Florida Straits.
Cabrera, who was born to Cuban exiles, pitched a ball right over home plate to the delight of what looks like hundreds of kids on a county video posted on Facebook.

“I’m excited to be here at Brothers to the Rescue Park in District 6, one of the few baseball parks in Miami-Dade,” he said, thanking staff for their work and crediting residents and the baseball league associations for bringing him concerns.
“And here you see government in action.”
Wait a minute. Doesn’t he have to pack? What does one pack to go to Panama to be the U.S. Ambassador, anyway?
“Guayaberas and suits,” Cabrera, who is leaving at the end of the month, texted Ladra after telling her that he couldn’t do interviews without coordinating through the embassy. Oooh, lah, lah.
Read related: Does Miami need another airport? Commissioner Kevin Cabrera asks
Cabrera has also gotten a ton of congratulations he has to answer with digital thank you notes. Or his mom will get pissed.
“Congratulations to my dear friend @KMCabreraFL on being confirmed as the U.S. Ambassador to Panama,” Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart exclaimed on his social media. “Kevin is a true patriot and dedicated public servant committed the cause of freedom in our region, and with a clear understanding of putting America’s interests first.
“The United States and Panama share a strong, strategic partnership rooted in democratic values. As a key player in combatting mass migration, narcotrafficking, and authoritarian regimes, Panama is vital to regional stability. There is no one better suited to advance our national security interests and strengthen this critical alliance.”
It’s interesting that nobody — not Rodriguez, not Cabrera, not Diaz-Balart — said anything about taking over the Panama Canal.
It was also missing from Cabrera’s online video message, which was also posted last week.
“Serving as your Miami-Dade Commissioner has been the honor of a lifetime. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together because every project, every initiate and every step we took was about one thing serving you the people of Miami-Dade County,” Cabrera said in the recorded video.
“We prioritized the safety of or streets and neighborhoods, installing traffic calming devices and lowering the speed limit to 25 mph indoor neighborhoods and your parks, while resurfacing over 60 miles of roadway and repairing countless potholes,” he said. “As chair of the Miami International Airport committee, we’ve made investments of $9 billion to modernize our airport. These upgrades will improve infatsructiure elevate the travel experience and help ensure our airport remains a world class gateway for this region.
“And through it all we’ve stayed close to the people, solving thousands of constituent services and hosting mobile office hours and town halls bringing our government directly to you.
“Now, as I prepare to serve our ratio as the us ambassador to Panama, I will carry with me these values that guided us every step of this journey — accessibility, accountability and results,” Cabrera said. “Miami-Dade County wil alwasmys be home.
“It’s been an incredible journey. Our work made a difference, and that’s something I’ll always carry with me.”
The post Miami-Dade’s Kevin Cabrera leaves for Panama, county gets set to appoint appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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