Judicial races are supposed to be boring. That’s the deal.
The candidates talk about fairness, impartiality, judicial temperament, and the rule of law. Bar associations issue ratings. Lawyers quietly pick sides. Most voters skip the race entirely or vote based on whose last name sounds familiar.
But somebody apparently forgot to tell that to the people targeting Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mavel Ruiz, who just happened to draw the 
short straw in the lawsuit filed last year against the Miami Dade College giveaway of Biscayne Boulevard property for the Donald Trump Library, which was done without proper notice. And she agreed, granting an injunction, which she later lifted after the board of trustees had a second meeting, properly noticed.
She followed the law. What a concept!
Still, this obviously drew the ire of the diehard MAGAists who found someone to run against her. Or maybe just seized the opportunity.
Read related: Donald Trump Library back on track after judge lifts MDC injunction
On Thursday, voters began receiving text messages from a political committee directing them to a website with a simple message about the incumbent Miami-Dade circuit judge: “Unethical. Unfit. Untrustworthy.”
Unsubtle.
The site then lays out a timeline of allegations and alleged judicial missteps — super cherry-picked technical stuff — designed to convince voters that Ruiz should not be returned to the bench.
Whether voters ultimately buy those arguments is one thing. The more interesting question is who is paying to make sure they see them?
Because this isn’t your typical judicial campaign website. This is opposition research packaged for public consumption. Complete with the unflattering photos. And the domain name mavelruiz.com was secured in May. Bet you Her Honor is kicking herself in the, er, robe for not getting it first.
And it arrives as the race between Judge Ruiz and challenger Destiny Alvarez — aka Destiny Goede and then Destiny Goede Alvarez — has 
evolved from a relatively obscure judicial contest into one of the most explosive and politically charged judicial races in Miami-Dade this year.
Follow the money trail and things get even more interesting.
The brand new political action committee behind the text blast wasn’t exactly overflowing with grassroots bake-sale money. Instead, the $24,000 funding appears to flow through the familiar labyrinth of other political committees, where one PAC funds another PAC, which funds another PAC, which receives money from still more PACs.
It’s basically Russian nesting dolls for campaign finance.
Only with lawyers.
And developers.
And lobbyists.
Read related: Trump library and the ‘name game’ will feature in Miami-Dade judicial race
Among the contributors sitting somewhere along the funding chain are interests tied to real estate development, construction, major entertainment venues, and some of South Florida’s most influential business players, including entities connected to billionaire developer Jorge Pérez, according to campaign finance records reviewed by Ladra.
Which raises a fascinating question. When a judicial race starts attracting the attention of major development interests (read: investment), is it 
really still just a judicial race? Or has it become something else?
Goede Alvarez has political consultant Alex Miranda working on her campaign. She has people like former State Rep. and Ambassador Carlos Trujillo and current House Speaker Daniel “Danny” Perez supporting her. While the campaign finance report for Ruiz (who has raised $164,824) lists mostly attorneys and law firms as contributors, Goede Alvarez’s report (with $162,500 as of June 12) looks more like a regular non-judicial campaign, with lobbyists, real estate investors and at least 17 political action committees donating to her.
Ruiz, of course, is no stranger to controversy.
She found herself in the political crosshairs after presiding over litigation involving the proposed Donald Trump presidential library project and the controversial transfer of Miami Dade College property connected to that effort. That case transformed what would normally have been a low-profile judge into a recognizable political target.
Now voters are being bombarded with attack messages accusing her of misconduct and poor judgment.
The website’s allegations are serious.
But so is the money being deployed to spread them.
And that’s what makes this race different.
Because judicial campaigns traditionally revolve around qualifications. This one is beginning to resemble a county commission race.
Or a mayoral race.
Or one of those development fights where millions of dollars are riding on who ultimately sits in the decision-making chair.
Read related: After the April Fool’s fake-out, six real Miami-Dade judicial races remain
Ladra isn’t suggesting every contributor has the same motivation.
Some may genuinely believe Ruiz shouldn’t be reelected. Some may simply support her opponent. Some may just enjoy writing checks to political committees the way other people do Pilates.
But when a judicial race starts generating attack websites, text-message campaigns, PAC networks, and funding trails that run through some of Miami’s most powerful development interests, voters are entitled to ask a simple question: Why is this race suddenly so important?
Because somebody appears willing to spend a lot of money making sure Judge Mavel Ruiz loses.
And in Miami politics, when that much money starts moving, there’s usually a bigger story underneath.
Nobody else is covering the judicial races like Political Cortadito. This kind of independent, government watchdog reporting is crucial to transparency and democracy. And more so every day. If you want to read more about the judicial and other campaigns in 2026, please help with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here.Independent reporting is more important than ever. Ladra thanks everyone for their support.
Somebody really wants Miami-Dade Judge Mavel Ruiz off the bench added by Ladra on
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Woke actions by Judge Ruiz in the case of the land transfer to the Trump library:
1. Hugged the plaintiff;
2. Thanked him for bringing his case; and
3. Praised him for being willing to mortgage his house in order to secure the surety bond needed for the injunction.
Read my column in http://www.miamiindependent.com and http://www.CDM.press.
Get woke, go broke!
This Woman is a disgrace as a judge. She had my case years ago and I got screwed because she did not know what to do or just did not give a damn about helping me. I hope she gets booted. I will vote against her!
Ed, aren’t you an attorney? What did she do wrong in that case? The state ended up giving away the $300m land for free, sounds like socialism to me; but she did not stop it. What are the great qualifications of Ms. Alvarez (Goede)? All the cases she has handled in about 5 years at her family’s law firm?
Ed, please state with specificity what “progressive politics” Judge Ruiz brought into her courtroom? Thanks.
I support Judge Mavel Ruiz.
Judge Ruiz brought progressive politics into her court room, and now she and her supporters cannot complain that conservative politics has come into her re-election campaign.
Thanks to Mrs. Alvarez for challenging this flawed woke incumbent. We need more challengers like her!
Ed, Judge Ruiz followed the law. There was nothing woke about it.
The injunction was placed because they had not had proper public notice. When they reheld the meeting, she lifted the injunction.
We need more judges like her, who rule on the law and not on partisan politics.
Love, Ladra
Judge Mavel Ruiz has my vote.
No question about it.
It’s disgusting to watch the underhanded plays being made for the benefit of some.
We need judges like Ruiz who look out for what’s right for all of us.
This is a MAGA hit job on judicial competence. The shame.
Nobody should be permitted to run for a judicial appointment with less than 10 years of experience as a practicing attorney. We’re extremely fortunate now to have the quality of Judges in Miami-Dade’s civil division (probably similar in criminal division, but that’s not my world!). This, however, can change if we start electing folks without the necessary experience and competence. This is not an appointment that depends on political connections or name recognition, but a sacred position that involves Judges making decisions that often alter the lives of families and the financial future of businesses.
I’ve known Judge Ruiz for over 30 years. The website you referenced milks two separate ethical/election-related incidents over an entire page, both of which Judge Ruiz acknowledged and for which she took responsibility. The third matter, an appeal, is nonsense. Every judge gets reversed, many for far greater error. Judge Ruiz, however, is rarely reversed on appeal, especially when compared to other judges. No judge is perfect. That’s why we have appellate courts.
You are correct that this is about something more: retribution and installing more puppets in the Dade judiciary. Judge Ruiz’s opponent, admitted to the Bar in November, 2020, barely meets the 5-year requirement for judgeship. No 5+ year attorney is qualified to be a judge. They don’t have sufficient life experience, and they certainly don’t have sufficient legal/work experience. This is especially true when compared to Judge Ruiz and her 30+ years of Bar membership, and legal and judicial experience.
For years Judge Ruiz was an assistant public defender and assistant regional counsel, trying very serious cases in all levels of our criminal courts. She also had her own law office for many years, and handled civil, criminal and juvenile cases. Ms. Alvarez, by contrast, was admitted to the Florida Bar in November, 2020 and has practiced law exclusively in the post-Covid era, when nothing is done in-person anymore. It is all by Zoom, so she has had very little, if any, opportunity to interact in person with judges, mediators, witnesses and litigants. Most, if not all, of her mediations, hearings and depositions, the very things we trial lawyers do every day, have likely been virtual, denying her the benefit of seeing what the older attorneys have seen and experienced. This is unfortunate, because there is an entire, growing generation of younger attorneys who have missed out on a very important part of professional development, precisely because Covid changed how we do business. That she is of that generation, while unfair, is a huge strike against her.
In her 5+ years of legal practice, how many motions to suppress evidence has she handled in criminal court? How many motions for summary judgment has she argued in civil court? How many evidentiary hearings and bench and jury trials has she done in any court? How many appeals has she handled in the appellate courts? My bet is very, very, very few, and that really counts against her. How can we trust a babe in the woods to decide cases involving the death penalty, catastrophic injuries or terminations of parental rights? We can’t.
And it does not help her case that her first foot forward in the election process was to engage in “name game” shenanigans. That she is willing to trade her name, her very identity, for votes, is disgusting, and she should be embarrassed. It just shows how low she will stoop to get what she wants. How can we trust such a person to be an unbiased arbiter? We can’t.
I wish Judge Ruiz luck. She already has my vote. She is a good, experienced, ethical and honest judge. I hope a majority of the voters agree. We don’t need less-qualified judges on our state court bench. It is bad and inexperienced enough as it is.