The commission seat runoff in Coral Gables has gotten nasty with back-to-back hit mailers attacking former Commissioner Ralph Cabrera with lies and innuendo.
They come from the same Jensen Beach political action committee that sent 
three anti-Cabrera pieces in the first round — so we know now they are on behalf of candidate Jorge Fors.
But we don’t know who is paying for them.
Leadership for Florida’s Future has no contributions or expenses listed through March, even though at least one of their mailers landed before March 22. And the next reports, which will reflect any activity in April, aren’t due until the second week in May — which means we won’t know who paid for the attacks until after the election.
That’s not a coincidence. That is by design.
Read related: PAC says it did NOT send hit piece on Ralph Cabrera — so who did?
Fors’ campaign manager continues to insist it isn’t them.
“I have no idea where it comes from,” said Steve Marin, who worked with 
the Leadership for Florida’s Future PAC in 2018 and billed them $63,000 for what he said was work on state primaries.
“I work with 20 PACs,” Marin said. “I have one print house, one mail house, and if I mail it, I have my number on it.”
It’s not his number on the mailers, but Marin has worked on campaigns the PAC has worked on before.
Curiously, the PAC used a different permit number on the mailers sent in the runoff. Ladra can’t find out whose it is — but the Florida Division of Elections or the State Attorney’s Office, which has been asked to look into it, could.
The PAC is run by Michael and Debbie Millner, who told Ladra they didn’t send the first one in March. Subsequent attempts to reach them have not been successful. And they have not returned several messages, so perhaps we shouldn’t believe it.
Read related: State attorney looks into mystery mailers in Coral Gables election
After all, Leadership for Florida’s Future is known for its negative shady work, 
mostly (if not exclusively) on behalf of Republican state candidates, as far away as Orlando and Sarasota. Closer to home, the PAC was used in 2017 by the Jose Felix “Pepi” Diaz campaign for the special senate race against Annette Taddeo.
Diaz also had Marin as a consultant.
And political observers have pointed out that the mailer used the same font as another Marin client, Andrew Vargas against State Rep. Javier Fernandez in House District 114 last year.
So what’s the interest in this little ol’ Gables race? Who is paying for the Cabrera hits?
It could be developers and real estate interests, some of whom have already 
contributed to Fors’ campaign, according to his latest campaign report. Because while Ralph is for smart development, he has said repeatedly that he would defend and stick by the city’s current and strict zoning code.
It could be the hourly no-tell motels who, like Fors, are against annexation of Little Gables, where one of those establishments flourishes.
Whoever it is, however, is lying.
One of the mailers says Cabrera is pro development But photos used to scare the anti-development voters are of Brickell Avenue, not downtown Gables. And, as stated earlier, Cabrera vows to hold developers to as of right density and height standards, not an inch more.
Read related: In House 114 race, Andrew Vargas won’t speak for himself; lets PACs attack
The other mailer brings up an old and unsubstantiated accusation against Cabrera from a resident who was angry that he wasn’t able or willing to close her street. Police investigated the incident and, after witnesses told them it never happened, found it to be bullshit.
“Exceptionally cleared” is what it says in the police report, which changed the woman’s status from “victim” to “reporting party.” She didn’t even go to the police right away because first she wanted to talk to her lawyer.
But Fors and those in his campaign want to keep as many Cabrera voters as they can from the polling places Tuesday. They know he will perform better on Election Day. And they can’t afford that.
This is voter suppression and voters would be wise to ignore it.
Secretly funded PAC attacks Ralph Cabrera with mystery mailers, lies added by Ladra on
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