Former South Miami Mayor Horace Feliu filed for election to his old seat Friday against
incumbent Mayor Philip Stoddard.
Feliu told Ladra that he had been watching the development in the small city with a wary eye but that he made up his mind about the race after the police shooting last month of a man who made a quick move at a traffic stop.
Feliu has held the job twice. Once from 2002 to 2004. And then he was arrested for taking an illegal campaign contribution in a total a politically-motivated sting on the eve before the election with charges that were later dropped. Voters returned him to office in 2006 and he served two more terms.
“And during that time there was none of the chaos you see now,” Feliu said.
“South Miami has got its own little feel to it. And all the lot splitting and high density construction is going to hurt that,” he said, scoffing at Stoddard’s environmental stripes. The current mayor, a biology professor at FIU, is a known tree hugger.
“He speaks pro green but his actions are not pro green,” Feliu said. “Every time there’s an election he puts out this Dooms Day scenario of giant FP&L light poles towering over us on U.S. 1, but he’s creating more of a demand for electricity with all this development.”
Feliu ran in 2013 for commission against Walter Harris, but lost with only 51% of the vote.
The news did not surprise Stoddard, who said that Feliu has been hinting about a run for a while.
“I always like to start out positive,” Stoddard said about how Feliu’s entry into the race might change his campaign. “I think have a strong record.”
He said that there has already been misinformation spread about the shooting, which is under investigation by the Miami-Dade Police and the State Attorney’s Office and that Feliu was premature in making it a campaign issue.
“It’s always unfortunate to have a police involved shooting,” Stoddard said. “But crime is at a historic low.”
“It’ll be a spirited campaign, that’s for sure.”
The deadline to qualify for the Feb. 9 election is at 5 p.m. Friday and there was already one more person in the mayoral race. Claudia Hauri.
Commissioners Josh Liebman and “Bicycle Bob” Welsch will win their seats automatically after neither drew a challenger by Friday’s deadline.
Former South Miami Mayor Horace Feliu wants old job back added by Ladra on
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