Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla is still raising money hand over fist for his re-election this November. In the last two months, he’s raised more than $610,000, almost as much as the two months previously, bringing the total since March to more than $1.2 million.
In his campaign’s first month, Diaz de la Portilla raised only $76,603. That’s hard money. He’s better at the soft money, or “indirect” contributions via his political action committee, Proven Leadership For Miami-Dade, which reported getting $124,000 in June and $492,249 in May.
Maybe some of those were wedding gifts after his marriage to Vanessa Garcia Azzam, a former District 1 aide who now works for Miami-Dade Commissioner Keon Hardemon. The were married May 19, according to the marriage license.
That’s added to the $633,000 raised the two months prior for a fat $1.24 mil that can be argued is for his re-election campaign. The PAC, which has also been used for his brother Renier Diaz de la Portilla’s multiple failed attempts at public office, had only raised $8,000 since September of 2022.
Read related: Sabina Covo leads Miami District 2 candidates in campaign fundraising
The new contributions include $50,000 from former Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff through his Truth is the Daughter of Time PAC and $50,000 from the owner of Mokai Lounge, the Miami Beach nightclub that was shut down temporarily after a horse bucked a scantily-clad woman off its back in a packed house. He also got $50,000 each from Additive Strategies, a business consultant firm owned by Jay Solowsky, president of the Brickell Homeowners Association (who only gave $25,000 to Commissoner Sabina Covo), and Biscayne Global Management, property managers.
He also got at least $20,000 from four different companies connected to developer Lissette Calderon, of the Calderon Group, who last year bought a 7.3-acre site at 2301 Northwest 33rd Avenue for $32.2 million. The other recent PAC contributions include:
- $35,000 from real estate development company Oko Group
- $25,000 from Bayside Marketplace
- $25,000 from Allapattah Investors and Riverside Apartments, two companies with the same address and owners, Sheldon Lowe and Tomas Cabrerizo
- $25,000 from five different companies with no information on the state data list but the same address as developer Sergio Rok, who owns one of the companies
- $25,000 from Regency Miami Investors
- $25,000 from developer Nir Shoshani, who also gave another $12,000 in bundled checks to the candidate account
- $20,000 from Edgewater Management Services
- $30,000 from Delaware real estate investment firm identified as Pristine De (which had already given $50K in April) and $10K from Texas real estate investors Magellan Housing
Interestingly enough, but not necessarily part of the deep pocket development money, former Mayor and uber Democrat Alex Penelas also gave $1,000. Meanwhile, brother Miguel Diaz de la Portilla gave a mere $100. What ugly thing did Alex say to the former Senator’s wife, huh?
Diaz de la Portilla has one announced challenger so far. Miguel Gabela, the same resident who forced him into a runoff four years ago. Gabela, an auto parts dealer, has reported raising $18,000 — although $14,000 of that are in loans to himself. He has run for the seat four times, losing to former Commissioner Willy Gort before losing to ADLP in 2019.
Read related: Miguel Gabela wants a rematch vs Alex Diaz de la Portilla in Miami’s District 1
Diaz de la Portilla, who raised more than $1.6 million for the seat, got 61% of the vote.
This year, the commissioner is trying a different tactic. The city has presented a redrawn districts map that cuts Gabela’s house right out of District 1. Those new districts must be approved by the same judge that threw out the first map and Gabela will be providing his arguments in favor of invalidation before the Nov. 7 election.
Miami’s Alex Diaz de la Portilla raises more than $1.2 mil in four months added by Ladra on
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Donors must be pissed? DeSantis just removed Alex. Alex arrested. Will Alex leave the country?
Sabina Covo is bought and paid for by DLP, Sarnoff and Jay Solowsky. Like Tom Cruise said, “SHOW ME THE MONEY!” If you follow the money in her pacs, you’ll see Sarnoff, DLP and Jay Solowsky are funding her. They found themselves the weakest link they can use to get what they want passed and profit personally.
Word on the street is that this election cycle the miami dems are thinking of dropping her as their candidate and endoring Damian Pardo instead. Damian wants to bring equality to our communities and fight for the LGBTQ+ community.
My vote is with Damian!
This is proof Alex DLP is corrupt.
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Alex DLP is stealing money… And Criminals are paying money to BUY his support and his vote for their sleazy projects.
$20K from Edgewater Managment in on behalf of Suntex Marinas (Virginia Key LLC) the group that wants to privatize Dinner Key and is suing the City of Miami in an attempted strong arm taking of family operated Rickenbacker Marina.
Arrest coming soon
According to my sources, ADLP would call MDLP’s wife Elinette “La Rana” (Frog). The supposed rationale was that she has frog legs. He also called his nephew (born to RDLP) “Tapa-Rabo” (Cover Tail), a Cuban slur against Central Americans due to the fact that RDLP’s wife is Nicaraguan. He is a human piece of cow excrement and needs to be removed from office immediately. Out of that $1.2m, he will pocket about half of that from his own campaign management company, First Stone Management. How, he can set up his own profit margin and charge the campaign 50% more than what you can find in the market. That is well disguised bribery in my opinion. Why raise all that money so quickly and even worse try to have Gabela drawn out of the district? He polled D1 and found out his negatives are upside down and he isn’t even cracking 40% in a head to head. As an incumbent that is very very very bad. Ask him about the poll Ladra. Someone was calling D1 residents about a month ago. More information coming. . .
Gabela ran for office two times prior, not “four times”. Also, it should be stated that Portilla has not done anything for District 1 in the last 4 years. He’s obviously in bed with developers to sell off Allapatah and other areas of Miami, but at what cost to residents? All the money in the world won’t hide the fact that he’s been an inefficient public servant for the residents of district 1. People know that.
Wow… Alex “Postalita” Penelas giving money to this drunkard. That’s the only thing we needed to know to confirm that these two are cut from the same cloth, regardless of party “affiliation.” Can’t wait until the latest redistricting map is thrown out by the court. Also hope the residents in D1 have an epiphany on Election Day and kick this viper’s ass to the curb.
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