In Miami, Damian Pardo’s PAC goes after downtown activist James Torres

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A political action committee tied to Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo has apparently decided it is no longer enough to quietly freeze out downtown activist James Torres. Now, they want to publicly nuke him from orbit.

A text blast sent Thursday paid by a PAC connected to Alex Miranda — one of the more quiet but deadly political consultants and Pardo’s hitman — went full scorched-earth against Torres, the combative downtown activist and former District 2 candidate who is widely believed to be preparing another run for office.

And this thing was not subtle.

The text featured an AI-generated postcard-style image declaring Miami “A sunny place for shady people,” complete with a cartoon crying sun, downtown skyline imagery, and a giant black-and-white photo of Torres mid-rant like he’s auditioning for the role of “angriest condo president in America.”

Which, you know, he might be. And arguably he’s rightfully so.

But the real punch came in the copy underneath, which dredged up a decades-old criminal case from Arizona and repeatedly emphasized allegations that Torres had once been charged with “endangering the life and health of a minor and aggravated assault.”

Not once. Twice.

Because apparently the PAC believes repetition is the sincerest form of opposition research.

Read related: Op Ed by DNA President James Torres: Miami doesn’t need a DDA anymore

The Arizona charge was brought up in the 2023 election where he ran for commission alongside Pardo. Torres said then that the false accusations were brought against him in 2000, during an ugly divorce and custody case. He says he was never handcuffed or taken into custody or held in a holding cell. It was part of an ongoing court drama.

The text was paid for by Fighting for a Better Miami-Dade, which had no money, really, at the end of March, having spent all of the $94,500 raised. In the past, but after Pardo was elected in 2023, this PAC was billed approximately $168,000 by Miranda Advocacy, for consulting, voter contact and direct mail. Alex Miranda was Pardo’s consultant.

But the commissioner isn’t PAC poor, exactly. He has more funds in his other committee, We Can Do Better Miami. There’s about $175,000 left, including $77,000 raised just last quarter, according to the latest campaign finance report. Much of that came from real estate interests.

The text message, which should be reflected in the next campaign finance report in July, is politically fascinating for several reasons — starting with the delicious irony that Torres once helped elect Pardo in the first place.

For those who forgot — or had it hypnotized out of their brains — Torres and Pardo were allies during the ugly 2023 District 2 runoff against then-Commissioner Sabina Covo. Torres, who had built a loud following through the Downtown Neighbors Alliance, endorsed Pardo after failing to make the runoff himself and became one of the loudest anti-Covo voices in the race.

At the time, the alliance made perfect sense. Both campaigned as reform-minded outsiders promising accountability, transparency and a break from the transactional sludge that passes for governance at Miami City Hall.

Read related: Damian Pardo beats odds, incumbent Miami Commissioner Sabina Covo

Ay, pero alliances in Miami politics have the shelf life of unrefrigerated croquetas. Now, Torres appears to have gone from useful ally to potential political threat.

And that is what makes text blast so revealing: Nobody spends money attacking a candidate they don’t take seriously. Especially this early. The commission race in Miami isn’t until next year. About 19 months from now.

This suggests two possible scenarios: Somebody in Pardo-world believes Torres is preparing another District 2 run and could become a headache among downtown and Brickell voters frustrated with development, taxes, quality-of-life issues and the increasingly bitter politics surrounding the urban core. Defining him early on as an unhinged criminal would be smart.

The other possibility is that Pardo is smearing him now on behalf of the Miami Downtown Development Authority, another one of Torres’ targets. He has spent months exposing their bloated salaries and expenses on the backs of downtown residents.

Read related: Miami DDA drama heads to City Hall — and this time, there will be questions

But it also says something else: The downtown activist wars are getting personal. Very personal.

Pardo did not return a phone call and text to his phone. Neither did Miranda, who has been avoiding Ladra for weeks, ever since he did that push poll for Pardo in March.

But Torres — who has started using a “For a Better Miami” logo on communications that makes it look like he’s running for something — told Political Cortadito that the attack means that they want to silence him because his message is important.

“This is what happens when Pardo and his political goons get exposed and start feeling the heat,” Torres said. “They panic, send attack texts, and hope nobody notices the record.

“For months, I’ve been exposing his war on Miami’s trees, overdevelopment, the DDA hostage tax and election rigging tactics. Instead of answering residents, they try to intimidate critics into staying quiet. If Damian Pardo, Ralph Rosado and their crowd thought the would scare me away, they picked the wrong person. I’m not backing down.”

Torres has spent years cultivating an image as the relentless outsider willing to scream at City Hall when nobody else will. Sometimes literally. He is at almost every commission meeting and led the fight to limit the LED billboards on Biscayne Boulevard. He was one of the first to call Pardo’s election year change — where he gave himself an extra year — nothing but self interest. He has brought things to light, like the possible misspending at the DDA, which he says is a tax that residents should no longer pay. He is also prolific on social media with AI-generated memes. He once told former Commissioner Joe Carollo to “fuck off” in a commission meeting. Yeah, maybe Ladra should have led with that.

Read related: Damian Pardo still wants an extra year in Miami election calendar change

He seems to thrive on confrontation, public outrage and anti-establishment energy. But that style also creates vulnerabilities. Lots of them.

And now the same political ecosystem that once embraced his endorsement appears more than willing to weaponize his past against him before he can fully reintroduce himself to voters.

Classic Miami. Today’s reform ally becomes tomorrow’s liability.

And somewhere in all this, Ladra cannot help but appreciate the poetic symmetry: the activist who helped bring reformers into power now discovering what it feels like when the political machine decides he is the problem.

This kind of independent, government watchdog reporting is crucial to transparency and democracy. And more so every day. Help shine a light on the darker corners of our community with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

  Damian Pardo, James Torres, Miami DDA