Incumbent Miami-Dade commissioner couldn’t close So much for the coronation. Miami-Dade Commissioner Vicki Lopez had the money. She had the endorsements. She had the unions. She had the cops and firefighters. She had Democrats and Republicans. She had the entire Miami Beach Commission. She had nine months of incumbency and all the ribbon cuttings, newsletters, […]
Bruno Barreiro is going back to Tallahassee — if he can get past Gloria Romero Roses in November. And if it wasn’t going to be Tony Diaz, Ladra is kinda glad it’s Bruno. The former Miami-Dade commissioner and former state representative won the Republican primary for Florida House District 113 Tuesday night in a nail-biter […]
If you haven’t voted yet, congratulations. You’re in the overwhelming majority. Miami-Dade heads into Tuesday’s primary Election Day with just 12.5% of registered voters having cast ballots through early voting or vote-by-mail, according to Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia, who diplomatically described the turnout as “not optimal.” No me digas. That means nearly nine […]
So, where is she going to land softly? Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins is losing her right hand. Longtime chief of staff Maggie Fernandez, who has been at Higgins’ side since her surprise election to the Miami-Dade County Commission in 2018 and followed her across the street to Miami City Hall after last year’s mayoral victory, […]
Well, that didn’t take long. Former Miami-Dade Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Morales, who resigned in June amid the spectacular PortMiami/Fisher Island fuel-farm fiasco, has found himself a very comfortable soft landing. And where does a longtime government insider go after decades of running governments and learning exactly how the sausage gets made? Why, into government […]
The most interesting and heated judicial race in Miami-Dade just went nuclear. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz, who is fighting to keep her seat against challenger Destiny Alvarez (aka Destiny Goede) in the election that ends Tuesday, has filed a lawsuit accusing Alvarez, her husband and a network of political committees and consultants of orchestrating […]
Miguel Gabela’s handpicked, unqualified director exits There’s a hastily-called emergency meeting of the Bayfront Park Management Trust at noon Thursday with a single item — to name an interim director now that Raúl Miró, the handpicked and totally unqualified executive director under Miami Commissioner Miguel Gabela, has resigned. And just when it was getting good, […]
Because apparently nearly $188,000 a year isn’t enough Just when you thought “Tricky Vicky” had left City Hall behind, she’s back. And she’s got her hand out. Former Miami City Attorney Victoria Méndez, who was unceremoniously shown the door by the City Commission in 2024 after commissioners cited a loss of confidence in her leadership, […]
Most voters head into an election focused on the candidates. Who’s running. Who’s attacking whom. Who’s got the slickest mailer. Who’s promising to save Miami from, well, Miami. Then they get to the bottom of the ballot: Referendums. The part where eyes glaze over and people start filling in bubbles based on instinct, optimism or […]
Rafael Villalobos is the home-grown insider After months of searching far and wide for the best person to lead America’s third-largest school district, the Miami-Dade School Board finally reached a stunning conclusion: Maybe we should hire one of our own. In the end, the Board selected Rafael Villalobos, a lifelong Miami-Dade County Public Schools administrator […]