Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins has drawn her first challenger this week to her re-election next year: Miguel Soliman, a general contractor who ran for Miami City Commission in 2017.
Soliman filed documents Monday indicating he opened a campaign account to run for county commissioner in District 5.
You may not have noticed Soliman in the Miami race. That’s because he ran in District 3 against Crazy Joe Carollo — who eventually won — Zoraida Barreiro,
wife of former county commissioner Bruno Barreiro, and Alfie Leon, who made the runoff and challenged Carollo’s residency. Those three sucked all the air out of the room.
Voters didn’t notice him much either. Soliman only got 357 votes, less than 6%, after spending more than $88,000 — a loan to himself of $30K and the rest raised from mostly from development and construction interests, including $8,000 bundled from Luis Garcia, who owns several real estate and concrete companies.
Read related: It’s Alfie Leon and ‘everybody and their mothers’ against Joe Carollo in Miami runoff
The candidate, who owns Soliman structures, told The Miami Herald in 2017 that his issues were Flagler Street reconstruction, crime and small business incentives. Soliman, 57, has served on the city of Miami’s community relations board and waterfront advisory board.
Much of Miami’s District 3 overlaps with District 5, including district covers the downtown, Brickell, The Roads, Little Havana and Flagami. But it also includes Miami Beach from South Point to mid Beach.
La gringa, as Higgins is known and likes to call herself, may draw more challenges. But she is is not an easy newbie to take down
. She won her seat in a summer special election upset last year against Zoraida Barreiro, wife of former county Commissioner Bruno Barreiro — who had resigned to run for Congress — and former State Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who apparently switched places with Soliman and is now running for Miami city commission, in District 1. Higgins forced Barreiro into a runoff and won with more than 53% of the vote.
Read related: It’s Commissioner Eileen Higgins in Miami-Dade win vs. Zoraida Barreiro
On Friday, four days after filing his paperwork, Soliman had lunch at David’s Cafe Cafecito with 
former Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower, who backed Barreiro in last year’s county race, and one-time Miami Beach Commission candidate Elsa Urquiza.
“Had a great lunch today with the two Political Power Houses of Miami Beach,” Soliman posted on Facebook.
Higgins and Commissioner Joe Martinez are the only two incumbents to be on the county ballot next year, as the other five are termed out.
She has raised more than $143,000 for her re-election and spent almost $18,000, meaning she has $125,000 in the bank.
Eileen Higgins draws 1st challenge from failed Miami city candidate added by Ladra on
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