Miami Beach will have a runoff election to determine who will fill two seats on its commission after no candidate received enough votes on Tuesday to take office directly.
November 16, real estate agent, college professor and former commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez will compete against the local business owner Rachel Pacheco for the seat that represents the Miami Beach Commission Group 1. On the same Tuesday, member of the town planning committee Alex Fernandez and real estate investor Stephen Cohen will take turns to see who represents group 3.
With 4,003 of 11,821 votes cast in the Group 1 race, Rosen Gonzalez secured almost 34% of the vote. Pacheco followed her with about 30%. Restaurateur Adrian Gonzalez received about 20% of the vote while industrial distributors Blake Young occupied about 16.5%.
Fernandez led the field in the Group 3 race with 4,405 of 12,057 votes, which corresponds to a share of 36.5%. Cohen had 26% while the president of the Venetian Islands Ownership Association Melissa Beattie and real estate agents Michael Barrineau 20% and 17% received.
“I am honored by the trust that the community has shown in me as we approach the runoff,” Fernandez said in a written statement. “Miami Beach residents want a cleaner, safer community. You deserve a city commissioner with the judgment and experience to promptly and effectively address our community’s most pressing issues by implementing anti-crime policies, cracking down on illegal short-term rentals, advancing our flood containment strategies, and controlling overdevelopment. I am determined to win this election and achieve each of these goals in the town hall. “
To win on election day, a candidate must have received at least 50% of the vote. Since this was not the case, the two best finalists of each race compete against each other in a runoff.
Group 1
All Group 1 candidates had previously fought for the city commission, in 2015 only Rosen Gonzalez won. The 48-year-old real estate agent and professor at Miami Dade College vacated their place three years later for a failed congress application.
All also supported increasing the police presence in the South Beach Entertainment District, rather than withdrawing the final call to drink alcohol from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m., a cure for mayors Dan Gelber and former mayor Philip Levine championed to vocal resistance.
Rosen Gonzalez brought a lot of luggage to this year’s race, including some from the past Feuds with other commissioners, Meddling in an investigation in Miami Beach against a key donor for her congressional campaign, and a gaffe in September when she claimed to be “the most prominent Hispanic Democrat in the city of Miami Beach” when she was not actually Hispanic. (Your ex-husband is.)
Pacheco first ran for public office in 2019 when she fell to the Group 5 Commissioner Ricky Ariola. The 47-year-old former Connecticut Army National Guard member received multiple endorsements from the likes of Ruth’s List Florida, Save LGBT Action PAC, the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, and the Florida Chapter of the Service Employees International Union.
However, her questionable household literacy was seen as a potential weak point in the run-up to Tuesday’s elections. she has Filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy twice, most recently in 2017.
Gonzalez, 47, has served on the ground serving the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, the Marine and Waterfront Protection Authority, and as president of its homeowners association.
But he’s had money problems lately too. His family restaurant David’s Café closed its location on Alton Road last year after its landlord requested eviction from the business for non-payment of rent. He has since opened a Pop-up shop at the Shelbourne South Beach Hotel, but faces a foreclosure lawsuit against his home and another lawsuit by creditors for debts over $ 36,000.
Young was the only candidate in the Group 1 race to run a donation-free campaign. His ledger with the city showed more than $ 15,000 in expenses. The 50-year-old president of his local homeowners association and adult day care volunteer said the lack of outside funding in his campaign was a strength as he owed nothing to special interests or political groups.
Group 3
Of the four candidates running to succeed Góngora, only Cohen did not take any money from hotels or nightclubs. That’s because, like Young, almost all of the money in his campaign box comes from his own pocket.
A past candidate for the commission, Cohen, 43, cited volunteer work providing meals to needy seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic, mass cleanups in city parks, and membership and sponsorship of local temples as examples of his community involvement.
His platform prioritized protecting Miami Beach’s waterways, improving safety, fighting for taxpayers and middle class families, ensuring government transparency, and balancing the city budget.
Cohen said he was against withdrawing the last call at 2 a.m.
Beattie, 46, supported the move. She led a platform that focused on protecting the environment, improving infrastructure and resilience, and prioritizing the quality of life and safety of residents.
Fernandez, a late starter in the race, turned out to be a capable fundraiser despite his start in September. The 35-year-old had the most extensive government experience of his peers, including a current position as communications advisor and legal assistant to the Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebecca Sosa. His previous roles include working in the offices of the former Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower and former Miami Beach Commissioner Deede operas.
Góngora, who was running against Fernandez in 2009, backed Fernandez this year, who said he would support anything that voters would decide on the non-binding 2am referendum.
Barrineau, 63, spent the longest time campaigning after submitting his candidacy for the commission in January. He also ran for the commission two years ago but finished last in a three-way race.
Like Fernandez, he had served on the town planning committee. He is also a past president of the Fifth Neighborhood Association and the Miami Beach United Community Group.
The Barrineau campaign platform had three pillars: protecting the environment, restoring the town’s pedestrian character and housing, combating development by builders, investing in “green” mobility, reducing sea level rise and preventing crime.
He assisted the rollback at 2 a.m.
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