If (read: when) former Congressman David “King Nine Lives” Rivera drops out of the race for Congressional District 26 and runs, instead, fo
r state House race in 2016, it may not be in District 105 where he lives, which is the seat now held by State Rep. Carlos Trujillo (R-Doral).
Rivera could move to District 118, which is the seat now occupied by State Rep. Frank “Socks” Artiles (R-Country Walk), — who got that nickname from other legislators in Tallahassee after Ladra caught living outside his district months after he was elected.Artiles is widely rumored to be in his last House race this year. He’s not termed out, but he has told some of his colleagues that he may not run for a final term in 2016, even if he’s giving up his senior term, and a possible chair of something important, like appropriations.
Maybe it’s because his two girls are getting into their pre-teen years and he apparently wants to stick around at home to chase off the boys. Or maybe he wants to lobby his buddy, State Rep. Jose “Cigar Czar” Oliva, who’s slated to be Speaker in 2018 — which gives Artiles the required two years rest before he can lobby.
But a few political insiders have told Ladra that Artiles is seriously considering a run for county commission against Commissioner Juan “El Zorro” Zapata, which would be a rematch of sorts. Artiles ran against Zapata twice for state rep and lost. He only won his seat in the House after Zap 
was termed out.
What makes Artiles think he can beat Zapata in a county race? Ahhhhh, wait, maybe all the money and support that Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez could bring him? Maybe that’s why he’s willing to give up a senior term? He thinks he’s got it in the bag?
Sources tell Ladra that Artiles is being pushed to run against Zapata by the mayor’s friends, favorite lobbyists and namesake son. Gimenez and Zapata — who as state rep, hired the then-commissioners’s daughter-in-law as a district staffer — used to be allies. But the mayor has reportedly grown increasingly tired of Zap’s challenges on the dais.
Zapata, after all, was the deciding vote on the override of Gimenez’s veto on giving the 5% back to employees earlier this year. And he’s been a constant thorn in the mayor’s side — questioning expenses, criticizing what he says is a frustrating and “shell game” budget process and generally asking the uncomfortable but legitimate and relevant questions that the mayor hates.
“I expect people to run for the seat in 2016. I’m not 100 percent sure I’m going to run for re-election,” Zapata told Ladra, who got tears in her eyes. “It’s a very taxing job.”
But he isn’t as convinced as Ladra is that Gimenez is out to get him.
“I have voted more times than not with Gimenez, maybe 90 percent of the time. Now, I’m nobody’s…” Zap said, without ending the sentence. “Do boy,” was probably the word he was looking for. “Yes man,” would have worked as well.
“The only people I have an obligation to are the people in my district. If he’s going to get upset by one vote or two votes or three votes, I can’t help that. I hope he is concentrating on other things than trying to find an opponent against me,” Zapata said, laughing it off.
He also said that he may go back to state office or not run for anything and just be a private citizen.
“I have plenty of time to worry about the election come election time. If I do my job and I do it well, you have plenty of options and you have no problem when it comes to election. If you worry about all the rumors out there and you neglect your job, then not so much,” el Zorro told me.
“I’m sure that my voters know me well enough and what I’ve done and will support me when the time comes, if the time comes.”
If the time comes? Ladra, for one, thinks Zapata is very much needed on the commission dais and, even though it’s early, has four words for Artiles: Over. My. Dead. Body.
Well, unless Zapata runs for mayor. One can dream, right?
David Rivera’s drop sets up Frank Artiles vs Juan Zapata added by Ladra on
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