Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado is rubbing her colleagues the wrong way. And they told her so Tuesday — at the very first meeting of the new commission — when they stripped her of the interim vice chair position and gave it permanently to Anthony Rodriguez.
Even Commissoner Rene Garcia voted against her. ¡Eso duele!
Maybe we can chalk it up to Regalado’s flip on the UDB vote last month. She was the swing yes on the fifth try to allow the developer a zoning and land use change from farmland to industrial park so they can build 380 acres of warehouses in an area that has been identified as vulnerable and potential land for Everglades restoration. Regalado had voted against it until the developer changed her mind by gifting the county 600+ acres of environmentally endangered lands.
Or maybe she was just looking for a reason.
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Could that be why Danielle Cohen Higgins, who voted against the industrial park in her district, led the charge to take the vice chair from Regalado — who was sworn in Nov. 15 — and give it to Rodriguez? The commissioners who voted against the UDB application voted for Rodriguez.
Regalado didn’t return calls and texts from Ladra Tuesday. Chairman Oliver Gilbert, who was unanimously voted permanent chair, nominated her for his No. 2 post. It could be a coincidence that he was a loud supporter in favor of the UDB application.
“She is informed and she leads with her heart,” he said. “Sometimes she leads loudly.”
That right there might be the problem.
Cohen Higgins said the board needed “a leader that is able to unite us… always with the highest and utmost level of respect.”
That was no doubt a poke at Regalado, who has been a bit aggressive with her agenda. Yeah, she does know more about the county than most of the other commissioners put together. And, yeah, she has led on some important issues, like septic to sewer. But she doesn’t hold back on the dais, where her sharp tongue has stung a few colleagues.
Nobody likes a know-it-all.
Also, Regalado, who lost a bid for the mayor’s seat in 2016, has been shamelessly running for mayor 2024 since Day 1.
None of that should matter, of course. She deserves the post more than Rodriguez, who has been on the board for all of five minutes — and voted against home rule when he was a state rep in Tallahassee. Some political observers say the fix was in since August, when Rodriguez was seen campaigning with Cohen Higgins in District 8 rather than for his own seat.
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Rodriguez also gave money from his political action committee, A Bolder Florida, to three commissioners. He gave $250,000 to Kevin Marino Cabrera, who seconded the motion to have him be the chair, $20,000 to Commissioner Micky Steinberg — who didn’t need it because she was elected without opposition — and $10K to Cohen Higgins, who arguably didn’t need it either.
Gilbert, who was vice chairman for two years under Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz, seemed to know that he wouldn’t have the votes for Regalado.
It ended 8 to 5, with Marleine Bastien, JC Bermudez and Keon Hardemon joining Gilbert and Regalado to vote for her. The others voted for him.
“Serving the people has always been first for me. It’s what I did as Mayor of Miami Gardens, and it’s what I’ve done since assuming leadership with the Board of County Commissioners,” Gilbert later said in a statement. “As elected officials, we are listeners and problem solvers.
“It’s my mission to solve the problems of our constituents that prohibit them from having a fair and equal opportunity to succeed in Miami-Dade County. I’m confident that my colleagues and I agree on that and will collaborate effectively on what’s best for each District and all of Miami-Dade County.”
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The chair is the boss at the county commission meetings. Gilbert made clear how important that is to him when he told several people that they could only speak “through the chair.” The most important job the chair has, however, is appointing the members, chairs and vice chairs of the many commission committees where legislation and policy measures start.
Let’s see what kind of consolation prize he gives Regalado. Ladra suspects the juiciest and most important boards will go to her.
Gilbert, who was elected to District 1 in 2020 after serving as Miami Garden mayor for eight years, will also oversee nine board offices: Commission Auditor, Intergovernmental Affairs, the Jay Malina International Trade Consortium of Miami-Dade County, Policy and Budgetary Affairs, Community Advocacy, Agenda Coordination, Protocol, BCC Media, and Support Staff Services.
He is also the chairman of the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization an has championed an expanded Rapid Transit System Development Zone for denser development along SMART corridors, which hasn’t been met with joy by all municipal leaders.
Rodriguez was elected in August as District 10 commissioner to replace the termed-out Javier Souto after serving as a state rep since 2018. He was sworn in last month.
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“Public service is not a right and is not a single-player game,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “It is a calling and a duty that we must do better and better for those who allow us to serve.
“I’m honored to have been selected by my peers to help lead us into the future, but more importantly, I’m honored by the trust and commitment for us to all work together for the Miami-Dade we all love and call home.”
Together? Eh. Maybe. Regalado is not going to forget this, however.
On Tuesday, she moved to four-day rule — or postpone — an item that Rodriguez had brought up, hinting at possible friction in the future.
Said Rodriguez: “I can play at the same game as well.”
Miami-Dade BCC picks Anthony Rodriguez No. 2 over Raquel Regalado added by Ladra on
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