Could Carlos Gimenez come back to his old job as Miami-Dade mayor?

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A new potential challenger to Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava could be the guy who used to sit in that seat: Congressman Carlos Gimenez.

This potential news was broken Friday by radio journalist Roberto Rodriguez Tejera on Actualidad Radio. He said that while regular Republicans are not terribly unhappy with La Alcaldesa, the Trump republicans expect a red wave and don’t want to miss the opportunity to gain an important local and non-partisan seat.

But he’s a congressman. He looks happy flying around with Trump and regularly making comments or accusations on Fox News. Why would he come back to County Hall?

Read related: In two months, Daniella Levine Cava raises more than $1.4M for re-election

Well, there are several legitimate reasons. One could be that his wife is sick of him traveling all the time. Gimenez is an involved abuelo who takes or picks up grandkids from school, has weekend family dinners and he might miss hanging out with his extended clan. He is one out of 435 members of the House. Here, he would be the second most powerful politician in Florida.

There are some illegitimate reasons also. He’s not as federally connected as he is locally and it’s hard to get some grift for himself or the people on the friends and family plan.

There are already some Republicans in line to run against Levine Cava in 2024. Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid is going to announce his “working man for mayor” pretty soon and he could be a legitimate challenge. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez did a poll against Levine Cava before he announced his unbelievable — no, really, who believed him? — run for president. Everybody knows it’s what Commissioner Raquel Regalado wants. Ladra keeps hearing Carlos Lopez-Cantera was thinking about it, but that was before Pedro Garcia decided not to run again for property appraiser, a post Lopez-Cantera once held and could get again. And there are those who say Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo wants a rematch, but it seems he is really grooving in Hialeah so why would he?

Levine Cava is seen as vulnerable, easy pickings. Republicans are outregistering Democrats in Miami-Dade. And Levine Cava has even upset Democrats with her failure to address the important issues while she names chiefs of social services like mini deputy mayors.

Read related: Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava aims for reelection via petition

Ladra has actually heard people say “Makes you miss Carlos Gimenez.”

People close to Gimenez laughed when Ladra asked about the possibility of a comeback. But it seemed an uncomfortable laugh. And Gimenez was in Miami Friday, making the rounds at the Latin Builders Association luncheon, just like a local candidate.

Levine Cava still aims to qualify by petition, which means she has to turn in at least 15,294 signatures — representing 1% of the county’s registered voters — by April 30, 2024.

Gimenez would likely pay the qualifying fee.