Miami shows up at — and Heats up — NALEO

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Maybe presidential candidate Mitt Romney was the headliner at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officers annual conference in Orlando Thursday.

But for a group of Miami legislators and municipal officials, there was another name on their mind: Lebron James.

NALEO’s 29th annual conference at the Contemporary Resort in the Magic Kingdom was attended by scores of 305 electeds. Ladra was there to cover what is known as the “Latino political convention” as senior editor of VOXXI.com and ran into Miami Lakes Councilman Nelson Hernandez, Miami Beach Commissioner Jorge Exposito, State Reps. Ana Rivas Logan and Anitere Flores, Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban Bovo, Homestead Councilman Elvis Maldonado, Hialeah Councilwoman Katherine Cue (as usual, dressed in red), Key Biscayne Councilwoman Mayra Peña Lindsay, Doral Mayor JC Bermudez, Aventura City Commissioner Luz Urbaez-Weinberg, Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos Martinez and Miami-Dade School Board Member Raquel Regalado — whose papi, Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, was in Orlando, too, but in his role as abuelo taking care of the grandkids while his daughter participated.

There were also some former electeds and political operatives, er, I mean consultants who do double duty of the California-based organization. Even if they are Republicans in a Democrat-heavy world (just like Romney today) or serve as experts in their fields. They include Former State Rep. Juan C. Zapata, who is chair of NALEO’s Educational Fund and a candidate for Miami-Dade Commission in District 11, former State Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who is running for a house seat in district 112 and pretty much just came for the ride (then hid, reportedly disguised as a tourist in surferboy gear) Zapata and Dario Moreno, a consultant and pollster who provided valuable demographic information (story coming) in a “mobilizing the Latino vote” panel discusssion, JC Flores, a former political consulting now lobbying for event sponsor AT&T, consultant Steven Ferreiro — who goes around as Esteban at NALEO — and Christopher Miles, who is chief aid to school board member Carlos Curbelo.

Right after the Romney speech, I dropped in on a few of them talking in the Fantasia lobby — which is an excellent name for a political venue. But they were not heatedly debating the Republican nominee’s speech. They were trying to figure out where to see Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Someone mentioned that the Gaylord Palms, where the Florida Bar was having an event, has a sports bar with a big screen TV. But they didn’t want to leave the comfortable coziness provided by Mickey et al if they didn’t have to.

“I will take it to Arturo,” Regalado said, referring to Arturo Vargas, executive director of NALEO, who was apparently lobbied by more than one elected — and not all from South Florida, either — and who had a lame excuse for not having thought of it earlier. “I’m from LA. I’m a hockey guy now.”

He did add that the organization was working with the resort to get the game shown on the big screen in the Fantasia ballroom.

Said Martinez, the public defender: “The Florida delegation demands it.”

Urbaez-Weinberg and Ladra are going to go look for a sports bar at the Disney resort. I’m supposed to text Rivas Logan when I find it, otherwise she is going to watch the game in her room. Booooo-ring.