With elections in November looming in four of Miami-Dade’s biggest cities, and eyes on the local 
and state elections in 2016, the political action committees are coming.
Folks like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera have shown that you don’t need hefty personal accounts if you raise the heavy-lifting funds for your PACs. These committees, in whatever shape they take, whether it’s an electioneering communications organization with stricter rules or a run-of-the-mill PC, are the way to go more and more for political candidates at the national, state, county and municipal level.
We already know that Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has a new PAC called Miami-Dade Residents First, which is a slap in the face since he puts his family and friends plan and lobbyists and developers and insiders first. Gimenez has raised just over $1 million for the PAC and is out to set a record next year.
Read related story: Jesse Manzano and Carlos Gimenez together again for 2016
Sure, his would-be opponents have PACs of their own. Miami-Dade School Board Member Raquel Regalado, who has declared her candidacy, has Serving Miamians and county Commissioner Xavier Suarez, who has not but is still, reportedly, considering it — has Imagine Miami. They have raised $606,000 (still has $100,000 in the bank) and $365,000, respectively (he still has about $250K).
Still there are other little PAC guppies waiting for the crumbs left behind by the big wheelers. A new wave of PACs have been registered in recent weeks or months. Ladra is trying to find out more about them, but here is what we do know already.
- Progress Miami has $80,000 donated since November, most of it from real estate development interests, including $35,000 from Corigin Holdings, a real estate development firm that is giving to everybody’s piggy bank as they try to build a 1.8 million square foot, luxury residential development project on 2.5 acres of prime waterfront property fronting Biscayne Bay in Miami’s financial district. Point Group Management and Sustainable Cities each gave $10,000. Rebuild Florida, another PAC chaired by State Rep. Jose Felix “One More Pepe” Diaz, gave $5,000.
- Miami-Dade Citizens for Progress opened last week, with Joaquin Urquiola as the treasurer. He is also the treasurer of the Truth is the Daughter of Time PAC chaired by Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff. But, forming and managing PACs and ECOs (electioneering
communication organizations, which are like PACs, but have different rules) have become a cottage industry within the accounting world. And there are a few guys names (we mean you, Jose “Pepe” Riesco) who come up over and over and over again. The chairperson is James Brown. Whoever that is. - People for Proven Leadership out of Miami Gardens formed in March and raised $56,000 in April, according to reports. The big contributors were developer Armando Codina and lobbyist Jorge Luis Lopez, in for $10,000 each. Redland Market Village, owned by Coral Gables resident Jose Infante and family, and Corigin Holdings each gave $5,000. Real estate, construction and development was the bulk of the funding sources, but there was also a $3,000 check from World Waste Services and $500 from healthcare provider AvMed, which has a county contract.
- Friends of Miami is the first of two PACs formed, ostensibly, for the November elections in the largest city in the county. The chairwoman is Virginia Hanley while Margarita Fernandez is treasurer. According to the campaign reports filed with the city, it has not raised any funds.
- Taxpayers Engaged is the second PAC, also formed in February. Campaign consultant Christian Ulvert, who is running a couple of the campaigns in Miami Beach, is the chairman and the treasurer. This PAC has raised zero dollars so far, too. But since he is the political director of the Florida Democratic Party, I don’t expect it to stay empty.
- Building a Better Homestead is the first of two new PACs for Miami-Dade’s 5th largest city, which has elections in October. Chairman is former State Rep. JC Planas and the treasurer is Riesco. The goal is stated as “preserving the quality of life in the city of Homestead,” so it could be for any four of the incumbents who face re-election this year.
- Change is Good is the second Homestead PAC, registered at the state earlier this month but on our radar because it was on the disclaimer for Homestead Mayor Jeff Porter‘s invitation to his campaign kick-off earlier this month. Like Building Better, it has not reported any contributions or expenditures yet because it was just formed.
- Blueprint Miami is also registered at the state by Riesco, the treasurer, and — here’s a new name — Kierstin Koppel as chairperson. The PAC formed to educate and advocate for candidates in state, county and municipal office. It also has not raised any funds yet.
- Miami’s Future Inc formed in February also by Riesco as treasurer and Sarah Manzano as chairperson. No clue if she is of any relation to Jesse Manzano-Plaza, who is the spokesman for Gimenez’s new PAC. But, whoever she is, Manzano is also the owner of SRS Solutions, which was paid nearly $7,800 for fundraising consulting. Since forming in February, the PAC has raised close to $145,000. Go Sarah! Among those who contributed is attorney Jay Solowsky, who is also Commissioner Sarnoff’s boss.
- Floridians for Principled Leadership just registered with the state last month. Mark Herron in Tallahassee is the chairperson and the treasurer. Makes it easier to just sign the checks, I guess. No fundraising or expenses to report yet.
- New Leadership PC registered with the state in March and treasurer Leonor Santamaria, a teacher, gave two checks totalling $340. The PAC has already spent about $250 at a toy shop and a dollar store. The chairman is Jose Santamaria.
- People who Demand Honest Government isn’t so much new as a new version of an old PAC. This is auto mogul Norman Braman‘s new PAC, with $500 transferred over from the People who Want Honest Government, which spent close to $1 million between 2010 and 2014. Because we are past just wanting honesty and transparency. The PAC is empty but Ladra expects for that to change quickly. After all, Braman is going to be
busy in the next year and a half supporting Regaladofor mayor, C-Lo for Senate and Sen. Marco Rubio for president. After all, People who Demand Honest Government, which, according to filing papers, exists “to provide an active voice in affairs affecting our community,” could ostensibly be about any of them. Or all three of them. - Also not entirely new is Miami-Dade Working With You, which is the PAC opened by county Commissioner Sally Heyman in 2014 and for which she raised $185,000 before she realized she would not be challenged last year. She paid a little consulting but the bulk of the $25,000 she spent has gone to other candidates or causes, like former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. So that means she has about $160,000 to throw behind whoever she wants in 2016 — or a good kick start to her own campaign for higher office. And that’s why Ladra has an eye on it anyway.
- Also not new but worth watching is Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, registered at the state more than a year ago, it has collected nearly $250,000, including $40,000 from Bayfront 2011 Development (the Genting casino dreamers) and $20,000 from Disney. United States Sugar Corporation, which wants the legislature to drag their feet and let an option to buy 80-some acres from them expire this fall, gave $10,000. And MCNA Healthcare gave $15,000. The PAC has spent just over $30,000, mostly on other PACs and state candidates, including $1,000 donations to Sens. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla (R-Coral Gables) and Rene Garcia (R-Hialeah).
Ladra knows that these are not all of them. In fact, I bet we haven’t even scratched the surface. And this doesn’t even include Miami Beach and Hialeah, which also have elections this year.
But now you see how quickly they can reproduce!
This is just the first stab at a growing list of PACs we should all be watching in the next year or two. We will be trolling for new ones and will add them as Ladra finds them. Please feel free to add to the list in your comments below.
Here comes the cash: Parade of new PACs in time for elections added by Ladra on
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