Three wannabes are vying for House seat 113 — but there’s no election yet

Only in Miami do we have a full-blown political race underway for a Florida House special election that the governor hasn’t even bothered to call yet.
But that hasn’t stopped the early birds — or the opportunists — from flocking to District 113, which State Rep. Vicki López just abandoned mid-term to keep Eileen Higgins’ old seat warm on the County Commission.
And oh, she left a parting gift on her way out: an endorsement for the guy she wants to keep her seat warm in Tallahassee.
Surprise! It’s not the guy who applied for her Commission seat two days earlier.
It’s Republican businessman and FIU-grown urban planner Frank Lago — a one-time chief of staff to Sweetwater Mayor Manny Marono, who lost a 2011 council run in Hialeah after losing a different state house race to replace Esteban “Stevie” Bovo when he left to go to the Miami-Dade Commission  — has filed for HD 113 as the apparent heir apparent to López, who called him “dedicated,” “trustworthy,” and possessing a “true servant’s heart.”
Which is Miami political code for: “He’s my pick, don’t screw this up.”
Frank Lago, left, with former Hialeah Councilman Luis Gonzalez and land use lobbyist Alejandro Arias in 2019
Lago, bless his heart, called López’s endorsement “deeply grateful” and thanked her for her “leadership.” It was all very sweet, very wholesome, very press-release-polished. The kind of thing that confirms what everyone had been whispering for days: Lago is the GOP’s pick. Make no mistake — Frank Lago is entering this race as the GOP establishment favorite.
Urban planning background (read: land use/zoning lobbying)? Check. Nonprofits on the résumé? Check. Chair of the Miami-Dade Planning Advisory Board? Check. Ready-made talking points about prosperity, innovation, and the American Dream? Check, check and triple check.
And with HD 113 red-trending in recent cycles — Republicans now slightly outnumber Democrats in registration — the party bigs are licking their chops to keep this in the red.
But Lago might be cast as a carpetbagger. A Mike Redondo 2.0. Everything we know about him is Hialeah. Not only did he run for office there, he was entrenched: Lago supported former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina‘s county mayoral bid against now Congressman Carlos Gimenez. He doesn’t live in the district.
And Tony Diaz, who announced hours after Lopez was appointed, has lived in the district his entire life. Well, after being born at Palmetto Hospital, that is. He went home to an apartment in Little Havana and grew up in Silver Bluff, where he has lived in the same house for 20 years. Diaz, 31, is raising his daughter there after his parents moved to Coral Gables. “I didn’t want to leave Miami. I like it here. It’s five blocks from Publix and CVS and I have a Casola’s and a Pekin Palace five blocks away. What more do you want?
“I’m literally a part of the district, to because I moved or have a rent like some of these guys. I have just created my happy little life here and I don’t want to go anywhere else,” Diaz told Political Cortadito.
Read related: Tony Diaz doesn’t waste a minute – files for House seat vacated by Vicki Lopez
He went with his family to the St. Peter and Paul Catholic School Carnival this weekend. Diaz, 31, went there; class of 2008. He graduated from La Salle High School. He knows the city issues and he knows the county issues, which is why he flirted with a run for Miami District 4 and then applied for the appointment to Miami-Dade’s District 3.
Diaz, who owns a small printing shop and has just started a fruit-tree grafting business, lost that sweepstakes Tuesday, as expected. And by Wednesday he was running for HD 113. It’s like musical chairs but with campaign signs.
Diaz, who has now filed for the seat, positions himself as a Republican who wants to “work across the aisle” and “reject divisive rhetoric.” He talks earnestly about “growing pains” facing Florida, which is objectively hilarious coming from a man who literally grows grafted mango trees for a living.
His big pitch is Florida is not for sale.
“Florida is in the clutches of special interests. All around us lobbyists and irresponsible political players sell out your voice and prey on our busy life to line their own pockets,” Diaz says on his website. “I will be a watchdog that you can depend on. Constantly searching for ways to help the everyday Floridian to again enjoy life in their state. I will also work to ensure that elections are as clean as can be by proposing laws that help Supervisors of Election across Florida to reign in questionable activity.”
On the other side of the primary, we only have one Democrat in the room so far: Justin Mendoza Routt, a polished, true-believer candidate who checked all the other Miami boxes.
Colombian-American? Check. Lifelong Miamian? Check. Civic engagement? Check. Grew up everywhere from Hialeah Gardens to Overtown and then worked in finance in New York? Check, check and triple check.
It is unlikely that Mendoza, who is president of both the Historic Bayside Civic Association and the Miami-Dade Young Democrats — who really should call themselves the middle-aged Democrats, but more on that later — will have a primary opponent. He has political consultant Christian Ulvert on his side, which basically means the Florida Democratic Party. He’s also a member of the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee, representing District 11.
And Democrats — still high on the national and state wins Nov. 4 — are already calling HD 113 “flippable.” Oh, and that’s not just whistling a Shakira tune. HD 113 went for Biden by 12 points in 2020. DeSantis only won it by 2. And Democrats say it’s still a D+4 seat on paper.
Mendoza is positioning himself as the candidate for people who can no longer afford their rent, their groceries, or their ZIP code. His announcement reads like a love letter to Miami’s working families.
“Our democracy is at its best when everyday people – those who understand just how impossible it has become to get by in our city – step up to run for office and fight for our community.
I love our community because it gave me the chance to grow and overcome childhood challenges, with love, grit and determination. Like many of us here, I grew up facing poverty, hunger, and housing insecurity. Today, as we all know too well, the crisis of affordability in this state is making the path to prosperity more difficult for all Floridians.
Together, I know we can create a Florida where residents have a chance to own a home, to address poverty and the rising cost of living, and to strengthen local public schools, because every child deserves the right to a strong education.”
He’s talking affordability, environment, schools, safety — the classic Democratic Greatest Hits album, remastered for 2025.
But the race will likely be in 2026.
Read related: Miami-Dade Commissioners silence voters, appoint District 5 replacement
At this very moment, three candidates are campaigning for a race that doesn’t officially exist yet because Florida’s Governor won’t say when the special election is happening.
But that’s not stopping anyone. Republicans smell an easy hold. Democrats smell a surprise flip. And activists smell the chance to annoy Tallahassee for three more months.
What does Ladra smell? Opportunity. Drama. A little self-interest. And a hint of desperation. It’s a delicious aroma.
The district is a weird, beautiful Miami stew — Key Biscayne, the Roads, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Little Havana, and more — and voters there know how to keep things interesting.
So, grab your popcorn. Or your mangos, if you’re Tony Diaz. Because HD 113 is about to be the hottest special election in town — whenever the governor finally decides to calendar it.

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