Michael Gongora, Jason Pizzo rack up endorsments for Senate

Former Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Góngora keeps racking up those endorsements in his bid to become the next Florida Senator in District 38.

But so is some young gun attorney named Jason Pizzo who nobody ever heard of before.

It’s natural that Góngora would get his ex colleagues on the dais to join his team: Former Miami Beach Commissioners Ed Tobin and Deede Weithorn and former Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower were the first to jump aboard. They were joined by current Commissioners Michael Grieco and Kristen Rosen Gonzalez.

The latest are endorsements from Miami Commissioner Ken Russel and Biscayne Neighborhoods Association President Andres Althabe, who are hosting an event for Góngora on Tuesday at the Charter Club Condominium Association. They are pictured here with the candidate at a past legislative update at Miami-Dade College.

“I am thrilled to have the support of these two leaders who always put the residents first,” Góngora said in a statement. “We have worked together on quality of life issues in the Biscayne Neighborhoods Association including traffic issues, better roads, quality education and better condominium association laws.”

It would be weird for Althabe to support anyone else in the race to replace Sen. Gwen Margolis: Góngora serves as the pro bono community association attorney for the Biscayne Neighborhoods Association.

“I have worked very closely with Michael for the past two years as the attorney for Biscayne Neighborhoods Association,” Althabe said. “He is ethical, honest, smart and someone I know will represent us well in Tallahassee.”

But this is Russell’s first endorsement as an elected official.

“I first met Michael when I was running for office as City of Miami Commissioner,” said Russell, who won his seat last year against the better financed Mrs. Teresa Sarnoff, wife of termed-out commissioner Marc Sarnoff. “He has a firm grasp of the issues impacting residents throughout our community and I have confidence in his abilities to produce results which will positively impact our quality of life.”

Weithorn, similarly, said his experience makes Góngora the best choice: “Michael understands government at all levels and will be effective in bringing home funds from Tallahassee to undertake needed traffic and flooding solutions throughout Miami-Dade County. Additionally, he will continue the fight for Israel in Tallahassee with the new Anti BDS law and divestiture laws. We need a leader that is sensitive to all issues impacting the diverse community.”

The newly-drawn District 38 runs roughly from Miami Beach to Aventura and from the ocean to I-95, including all of the Biscayne Corridor of Miami through the Upper East Side. There are six other candidates, including State Rep. Daphne Campbell, and Góngora threw his hat in after Margolis withdrew in the wake of some regrettable comments. Again.

He immediately became the front runner.

But this Pizzo person is certainly giving him chase.

Jason Pizzo, a former Miami-Dade prosecutor who has loaned himself $400,000 for this contest, has the endorsements of State Rep. Barbara Watson, Aventura Mayor Enid Weisman, Sunny Isles Beach Vice Mayor Jeannette Gatto, Sunny Isles Commissioners Jennifer Levin, Isaac Aelion and Dana Goldman, Surfside Vice Mayor Michael Karukin and Surfside Commissioner Daniel Gielchinsky.