Strange political bedfellows form from Miami’s ugly District 4 special election

Politics makes for strange bedfellows. And never has that saying been so spot on about local politics than it is now, with the sides lining up behind Jose Regalado or behind Ralph Rosado in the nasty, negative District 4 Miami Commission race to replace Manolo Reyes.
The saying is really an abstract of a literary quotation — “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows” — from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (written in 1611). It is a proverbial phrase from the mid 19th century used to express when “political alliances in a common cause may bring together those of widely differing views.”
Yeah, that’s what’s happening.
Read related: Manolo Reyes’ widow comes out strong for Jose Regalado in D4 special election
That’s why former Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez was at early voting hyping up Rosado, who will vote for changing the elections to even years, which is what his son, Mayor Francis Suarez wants, to extend his term a year. It is also what Commissioner Joe Carollo — who has been running and funding Rosado’s campaign — secretly wants, so he can get the city to keep paying his mounting legal bills.

That’s why former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla — whose charges on public corruption were dropped not even a year ago — was spotted chatting up Team Regalado during early voting, including the candidate’s sister, Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado, and their papi, Miami-Dade Tomas Regalado. ADLP has threatened to run for Miami mayor against a clown car of candidates that includes Carollo, who needs Rosado’s third puppet vote on the commission.
Diaz de la Portilla doesn’t do anything without his own benefit in mind, so he’s also the surest sign that Regalado is doing well. ADLP has been focusing his campaign lately on District 4, delivering mameys to engaged voters and, apparently, gathering intel on the D4 special election. He wouldn’t be behind Regalado if he didn’t think Regalado was going to win.
That’s why he sent a mail piece to voters, paid for by his political action committee, Proven Leadership for Miami-Dade County, calling Regalado “our future commissioner,” and saying that he “understands our values.”
Read related: Miami’s District 4 candidate Ralph Rosado is backed, helped by Joe Carollo
“Unfounded attacks, on behalf of people with no positive history in our community, will never erase a public service history of transparency, honesty, effectiveness and success,” the mailer says in Spanish. “They attack Jose Regalado as if you haven’t been present in our City of Miami District 4 and didn’t know his history, as if you didn’t understand the difference between dedication and the scandals of those who defame him.”
Yeah, it’s a little extra.

Watch Diaz de la Portilla tell everyone Tuesday night that he got Regalado elected.
Either that or it’s a ruse. ADLP really should be a political pariah after his 2023 arrest on political corruption charges — including bribery and money laundering — in the scheme to give away a public park to the owners of a private school that had funneled more than $245,000 into his political action committee. Even though the charges were dropped last year by the Broward State Attorney’s office — because he is not elected by Miami-Dade voters — there is nothing to suggest that it didn’t happen. Why would his endorsement be positive?
In fact, it’s already been used by Team Rosado to take the heat off Carollo. I mean, ADLP has to be just as bad, right? It takes som pressure off the cooties Rosado gets from his Crazy Joe association. It’s almost like it’s intentional.
Then there is that meh mailer. Diaz de la Portilla spent good money on a positive piece about Regalado when he could have done a hit piece on Rosado’s myriad conflicts of interests or his blatant lying or about his getting fired from North Bay Village or being pally wally with former City Attorney Victoria “Tricky Vicky” Mendez. It seems like a waste of his talents.
The Regalado campaign told Political Cortadito that they are not accepting any endorsements, but welcome all well-wishers.
Former Miami City Manager Emilio Gonzalez, who is also running for mayor, has also been walking and knocking in District 4 and, reportedly, pushing for Regalado as well as himself. Or maybe he’s also reading los caracoles and wants to be aligned with the winner. Another announced mayoral candidate, Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins — who is not, like, besties with Raquel Regalado on their dais — endorsed Jose Regalado last week on Spanish language radio.
That’s just the anti-Joe sentiment. And it’s sorta normal.
Read related: In Miami D4 race, Jose Regalado strikes back at Ralph Rosado’s lies on air, mail
But it is weird for Ladra to see someone like Xavier Suarez aligned with Carollo. And he knows it.
“I think they’re both qualified. Maybe Rosado is a little bit more qualified,” said Suarez, who was elected the first Cuban-born mayor of Miami — and served from 1985 to 1993 and then again for a few months in 1997 and 1998, when that election was overturned after evidence of absentee ballot fraud — before he was county commissioner in District 7, preceding Raquel Regalado. (Yeah, we need a flow chart for this one.)
“He was responsive and the other guy wasn’t,” the elder Suarez told Political Cortadito, adding that he tried to reach Regalado about the proposed tree ordinance when the latter was assistant director of the city’s building department. “I couldn’t get a call back,” he said, adding that a friend gave him sage advice: “You can’t base your support on who else is supporting that person.
“If I knew it was based on some sort of deal, it would be different.”
It’s hard for Ladra to believe X is that naive, still. Because if it’s Carollo, it is based on some sort of deal.
The post Strange political bedfellows form from Miami’s ugly District 4 special election appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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