Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez reportedly qualified for the Republican Congressional primary in District 26 because he 
filed his paperwork on time, before the deadline at noon on Friday.
But could a typo kick him off the ballot?
Florida statute 99.061 requires a federal candidate to submit “a properly executed check drawn upon the candidate’s campaign account” for $10,440. But the check written April 13 and received by the state April 17 is from the “Carlos Giminez for Congress” account.
Who is Carlos Giminez?
Although that is how, las malas lenguas say, Giménez used to pronounce his name when he was a city of Miami fire chief, the mayor’s congressional committee is called Carlos Gimenez for Congress. It is hard to believe they would keep a bank account — at a Georgia bank — with the wrong name.
Read related: Carlos Gimenez should resign to run, not abuse office for campaign
Another funny thing to notice is that the same treasurer for Gimenez signed the check for Miami-Dade 
firefighter Omar Blanco, who is the other Republican — or the only Republican? — who qualified (Irina Vilariño, who was Frank Artiles‘ pick, decided to withdraw). Paul Kilgor signed both checks. But Ladra suspects he won’t be working for either much longer.
This is not the first time that Gimenez, or someone on his campaign, make a qualifying mistake. In 2016, when he was running for re-election, he got his own elections department to extend the hours so he could submit a correct check after 10 p.m. The first check was invalid because it was dated a year before.
But this year’s mistake is with the state division of elections. He’s got less palanca there.
Gimenez campaign spokeswoman Nicole Rapanos said they noticed the typo earlier this month and ordered new checks with the correct spelling. They must not have arrived in time for the qualifying deadline Friday.
“Our bank account has the right spelling. It was just a simple error on the check,” Rapanos told Ladra, adding that she did not think it was a reason to disqualify. “They accepted it and qualified us.
Read related: Another Carlos Gimenez faux pas on COVID19 — or is he campaigning?
“Mayor Gimenez applauds Irina Vilariño for running a spirited campaign and wishes her well in her future endeavors,” Rapanos said in a text message statement.
“While the mayor is confident his record will speak for itself this fall, now is not the time for politics. Mayor Gimenez remains focused on the public health crisis at hand and on helping working families emerge from this crisis.”
A public health crisis he is using, by the way, to campaign for Congress, sending text alerts with his name on them and recording messages for residents chosen randomly to do COVID19 antibody surveillance testing that isn’t really valid.
But could this be legally challenged in court? Could he be disqualified? One could argue it is not a check drawn on the candidate’s campaign account because the campaign account has another name.
Former State Rep. and attorney to the pols JC Planas, who has a lot of experience in election law, told Ladra that if the check clears, it won’t matter. Bank errors do not disqualify candidates, he said.
“My 2008 reelection checks said JC Planas Campain,” he told Ladra Friday. “It was misspelled because the idiot that opened the account messed it up.”
Blanco or Giminez will face off in August for the chance to go up against incumbent Democrat Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in November.
Carlos Gimenez qualifies with wrong name check for Congressional bid added by Ladra on
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” We Have Come to Accept This Swamp Operators ! May God Have Mercy on The TAX Payers ?”
lol that was good .
People like you aren’t blind to what goes on nor self defeating ethnic voting separatists but in Miami people like you might be 10 percent IF THAT MANY .
Kenneth Newman,
The sloppy construction city jobs alone under these assorted parasitic Miami politicos cost 2x plus then outside of Miami .
There are no Republicans nor Democrats in Miami just self serving , corrupt career politicos ..
If you vote on the letter ‘R’ or ‘D’ you are doing yourself a huge disservice .
Not implying that ‘I’ Independents here are any different but this place truly needs to vote out EVERY incumbent . Clean the political filth out at 100 percent starting with the enabler , DA Rundle .
What has Carlos Gimenez really accomplished during his time as county mayor? He may have been a good fire chief, and an OK county commissioner, but lately he hasn’t been there for the people…..
What else but dirty tricks, ineptness and total corruption can be expected from egotistical Mayor Carlos Giménez?
This individual won the mayorship with help from The Miami Herald and his plant Myrian Marquez. I still remember the daily barrage of leaked grand jury details that made their way to the front of the paper detailing the misdeeds of Felipito and Gimenez’s opponent Julio Robaina. The moment Giménez won The Herald totally forgot about the case.
This unethical and possibly criminal mayor was elected with the money from Braman and unscrupulous lobbyists who have been sucking on the government tit for nine years now.
Hope Miami Dade County voters are smart enough to safeguard their absentee ballots from Gimenez’s boletera crew and vote for Gimenez’s opponent and hopefully stop the bleeding of our county coffers. This individual is by far the most corrupt mayor to ever disgrace our county hall.
We Have Come to Accept This Swamp Operators ! May God Have Mercy on The TAX Payers ?
It’s symptomatic of the sloppiness and dysfunction of his campaign and his administration.
It’s a “shoot from the hip” mentality that improvises at every turn in order to try to overcome his ineptness and lack of imagination and leadership.
He’s copying the trumper M.O. with his using a tragic crisis to look like he’s competent, but the emperor has no clothes!