Nobody would say who is going to endorse Miami-Dade Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava in her run for mayor on Tuesday, but it seems the big mystery is meant to look like it’s one of the other mayoral hopefuls who got cut out of the race last week.
It’s not.
Both former mayor Alex Penelas, the other Democrat who came in third in the non partisan race and 
Commissioner Xavier Suarez, the independent thinker who came in last — he’s a lover, not a fighter — told Ladra that neither of them had given DLC their endorsement.
“It’s not me,” Penelas texted Ladra late Monday, after he refused to pick up the phone a couple of times. Further text inquiries were also ignored.
It would have been weird to see Penelas support Levine Cava after all the attacks on her from his Bold Vision political action committee and all the dark money she used to attack him. But then again, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, who called Donald Trump a conman in 2016, is scheduled to sing his praises Tuesday at the Republican National Convention.
Read related: Esteban Bovo leads mayoral race, goes to runoff vs Daniella Levine Cava
And Suarez told Ladra in a phone call that it wasn’t him either.
“I really don’t know yet,” said Suarez, about who he would recommend to the 43,841 voters that chose 
him in the election last week. It could be either DLC or Commissioner Esteban Bovo, both of whom sit with him on the dais. Or it could be neither.
“I’m not going to take a real long time to decide, but it’s not going to be tomorrow,” Suarez said Monday.
“She has not answered, and neither has Bovo, my 10-point plan,” X said, referring to his list of priorities that include transportation, affordable housing, “streamlining” government and resiliency. He turned to Twitter to express himself.
“I don’t know how to do it without violating the Sunshine Law. None of this has anything to do with anything before November. But I want answers about after. Show me that you’re listening,” Suarez said.
“Memo #1 to Mayoral candidates: In re defamatory attack ads against me, all is forgiven,” he tweeted Sunday. “In re: your attacks against each other, it’s not so much an issue of forgiving as of bad form. Suggest you stick to issues, as per my next memo.
Read related: Winners and losers from Miami-Dade elections are not just candidates
“Memo #2 to Mayoral Candidates. The attached summary of priorities is what I will base my endorsement on,” he said, attaching a two-page talking points primer on the four priorities. “No single item is a disqualifier, but in the next memo I will post an item, related to COVID19, that is a sine qua non.”
In the very next post, he included a photo from the backseat of an Uber ride.
“Memo #3 to Mayoral candidates. Photo: plastic contraption created by Uber driver. He works from 6 to 
6 to feed his wife & 8 yr old son. Bec schools are closed, wife cannot work as Med asst to pediatrician. They survive on food stamps/Medicaid. Will discuss more tomorrow at BCC.”
He would have made a great mayor.
But if not Suarez, if not Penelas, then who?
Levine Cava already has a long list of endorsements from unions, progressive groups and nearly every Democrat elected in the 786. None of them got this kind of mystery advance anticipation. And one would think that a virtual press conference to “announce a key endorsement” one week after the first round would mean it was a big deal.
Campaign consultant Christian Ulvert did not return calls and texts to his phone Tuesday night. He probably wants people to believe it could be one of the other mayoral candidates.
Could it be Monique Barley? She got 22,823 votes. And if the first round is any indication, this runoff is going to be tight and either candidate would welcome Barley’s 23K votes.
Mystery endorsement for Daniella Levine Cava won’t be mayoral castaway added by Ladra on
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Perhaps this highlights an important aspect of the Resign to Run rule? How can we have serious conversations, if they are prohibited by the Sunshine Law?
Xavier has always been in love with Daniella Levine, the public servant. I think he was caught off guard by Daniella Levine Cava, the political machine.
Daniella may give lip service to Suarez, but she isn’t truly listening. She already has her agenda and is laser sharp focused on her priorities.
He is foolish to think that she will listen. She may give the illusion of listening, but like any politician, it is truly an illusion.
N. Verdecia,
Miami is not going Dem per-se so don’t let that concern you as that is not what is taking place here but thankfully more and more had enough of the same politicos here who never leave , they go from one office to another .
Musical chairs of the same self serving politicos .
The key here IMO is NEW people , not the same PROVEN crooks OR their family members .
gustavo Chacon,
The Commissioner position is ANOTHER just more government position that should not exist , just more self serving parasitos .
There are more politicians in Miami to get from point A to point B then any other place in Florida and most states .
For ” less government ” people this is a joke of zero accountability politicos , an ocean of politicos .
There was an old piece on youtube of this professor who was born in Cuba like I was , he wasn’t going after Cubans per-se but shocked by the self defeating , ethnic voting insanity but I can’t find it , though found these paragraphs from ‘ Popular Sovereignty ‘ ( Miami – dade Political Storms ).
He left Miami after he retired and all he said was and continues to be true .
” Many of the Cuban-American critics who were silent after the Cuban community was criticized by the press for reelecting Hernandez came out of the woodwork after F.I.U.’s Professor Moreno said basically the same things when he likened Miami to a “Banana Republic” on the nationally broadcast show 60 Minutes, pointing to its corruption, vote fraud (which I’ll get to later) declining economy and ignorant electorate. He also said that Cuban-Americans have “perfected [corruption in government] in many ways to a fine art.” That is not correct, however, because if corruption is done that well, it is unnoticed and subtle. Corruption in Miami’s Cuban-American government has been crude, blatant and openly defiant.”
” Demands for the removal of the tenured F.I.U. professor, or for a forced apology for the 60 Minutes interview statements were also made by the other usual and predictable Cuban-exile and community groups, but all to no avail. These groups and individuals were then criticized by the press and by Moreno when he refused to apologize, criticized as acting with a consistent fault that allows the problems to remain and continually resurface: that, from some Mafia-like code against self-blame and exposure, they attack the messenger rather than the corrupt politicians who twist ethnic loyalty to shield their own selfish purposes. “A banana republic has political corruption, election fraud, political instability, and economic underdevelopment,” said Moreno. “Tell me, where am I wrong?”
” We mind as we’ll hand her our wallets! ”
Just like we have with the assembly line of self serving , up for sale , CORRUPT Miami Cuban ” Republicans ” .
Miami has NEVER had a real Republican once Cubans took over , NOT ONE just crooks who run under the letter ‘ R ‘ .
As a Cuban who for the most part voted Rep on local level who moved here few years back , this is a disgrace an assembly line of Cuban crooks .
If I ran the Republican party I would sue so not ONE of these flunkies called themselves a Republican and feel sad for those who came here from Cuba , etc never lived outside of Miami and so conned that they think this ” Cuban Cosa Nostra ” are actually Republicans .
None Of These Politicians are here to solve the Problem ? Simply Because THEY are The Problem ? Tell Me Who You hang around and I will tell You are ?
Have you seen Any of the 13 Commissioners Vote Against Consistently in The BCC ? Have you seen Their DONATIONS from PAC and Lobbyist ?
It’s ok for Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Bovo who are one of the same to Rob us all of our Taxes as is the case with the Miami-Dade County Expressway Authority who are continually double,Triple,Etc Taxing us on the Tollway Expressways in Miami-Dade County, Bovo and Gimenez think everyone is stupid and no one is paying attention to the highway robbery of the tolls we’re paying ! Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez as well as Most of the Commissioners are laughing at us voters ! Again,I’m a registered Republican and I would never vote for a fake Politician’s like Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Estaban Bovo who are corrupt as any Politician i ever had to deal with ! Miami-Dade County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava hopefully soon to be the first Miami-Dade County Lady Mayor will open public records to anyone requesting them without playing any games like the Current Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has done with his Miami-Dade County Unethical Attorney’s who are doing all the Dirty work for Gimenez and Bovo !
And by endorsements from “progressive” groups you truly mean COMMUNIST groups correct? Because that is what all of these unions and politicians who want to rape us with taxes to house, feed and clothes a segment of society in this county that refuses to work and take care of their own problems really are! God help us if leftist Cava wins. We mind as we’ll hand her our wallets!
Voters told us they knew Penelas was a crook. Bovo seems like a clown, especially when he was Chair and demanding Miami-Dade Police remove any speaker who dared to speak the truth to the BCC. South Florida could use a female in a powerful office.
Welcome To The Swamp ” ! Mr Davis is Right , The Way Uber & Lyft Got out of Code 31-Vll and The Millions of Dollars in Fines That The Mayor & Commissioners Permitted Only Happens in MDC When Politicians Get “DONATIONS “/ Bribes To Their Campaign ? If You Follow Donations You will end up W/ Agenda Items down the Road ? Let’s Face IT Corruption is Here since Steve Clark Era , Let’s Not Forget that He Owned Taxi Medallions in his Wife Name ! Transportation in MDC has Been Kidnap By The Commissioners !
Xavier Suarez, First off ,Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez gave Uber and Lyft including their Driver’s everything they wanted including operating illegally for 2 years from 2014 to 2016. A whole bunch of criminal activities were going on .These people breaking the Law were Silicon Valley Venture Capitalists who made Billions of Dollars before and after they went Public on the Stock exchange in 2019. Uber and Lyft have the money to pay for any and all benefits for their drivers. A Uber Driver shouldn’t be able to con a Miami-Dade County Commissioner into demanding something so ridiculous that us tax payers would have to pay for Uber and Lyft Drivers benefits !