The Nov. 21, 2023, runoff elections marked the end of a hectic poltical cycle in the cities of Miami and Miami Beach. Residents who said they wanted to weed out corruption put a new face on the Miami commission, while a candidate for Miami Beach mayor overcame last-minute sexual harassment allegations to pull out a victory.
In Miami’s District 2, longtime activist Damian Pardo unseated incumbent Commissioner Sabina Covo, who only served a nine-month term after winning a special election in February. In Miami Beach’s race for mayor, Steven Meiner, former city commissioner and civil law enforcement attorney with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), beat out Michael Gongora, also a former commissioner and a community association attorney.
Miami District 2
(Courtesy of Damian Pardo)
Former District 2 candidate James Torres joined Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo during his victory night Nov. 21.
Pardo’s win comes at a time when allegations of corruption are running rampant on the city commission. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is under federal investigation for ethics complaints for wrongfully accepting money and gifts, while Commissioner Joe Carollo is still under public scrutiny for a $63 million settlement for which he was found liable after violating the free speech rights of two Little Havana club owners.
“I feel like this campaign was more of a movement than a campaign,” said Pardo, founding chair of LGBTQ+ advocacy group SAVE Dade. “At the end of the day, my supporters want to change what’s happening in our city and they understand what a critical inflection point we’re at right now.”
(Damian Pardo via X)
Former candidates Michael Castro, James Torres and Alicia Kossick endorsed their previous opponent, Damian Pardo, in the city of Miami District 2 runoff election.
Pardo received nearly 53% of the 5,143 votes casted in the runoff. He won despite a disadvantage in funding, having raised approximately $320,000 while Covo secured more than $750,000.
Leading up to the election, focus was placed on where the two candidates’ fundraising stemmed from. Covo’s streams of funding originated in part from various land use attorneys, marina operators, architects and builders, whereas Pardo’s money came from either his own personal finances or from small resident donors around South Florida. He believes this was essential to his campaign.
“I’m proud of the residents and voters in the sense that I think in this election cycle, folks have come away in understanding that money comes and can come with undue influence and connected insiders, and that it does impact their daily living, their quality of life and the character of their neighborhood,” Pardo said.
(Courtesy of Damian Pardo)
Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo
Because Covo’s term was cut short, however, there is the question of what’s to come of some of her ongoing initiatives. Namely, she was working closely with the Morningside community, where Pardo lives, to pass protections for a newly identified rookery just off the coast of Morningside Park. She also aimed to heighten public safety in Brickell after a series of shootings in the neighborhood over the past few months and to spearhead renovations in Margaret Pace Park.
Pardo says he will not let good initiatives lose traction, but that the beginning of his term will be all about learning and gathering information.
“I’ll take all of it under consultation, and where I believe things make good sense and the residents are supporting those initiatives, they should expect them to continue,” he said.
Besides ongoing policy, Pardo says his first order of business will be to address government transparency and corruption.
Former Miami zoning board member Miguel Angel Gabela also won in District 1 last month, where former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla was suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis for allegedly accepting a bribe in exchange for a commission vote.
Pardo says he is willing to work with each commissioner in order to advance the needs of residents and has already spoken to Gabela and found that their values seem to align thus far. He believes many of the issues affecting his district affect all of the city of Miami across district boundaries and says he will advocate for increased resident engagement as a way to improve cooperation on the commission.
“Folks I believe did their homework in this election cycle,” said Pardo. “And I’m just incredibly proud that the residents and voters have stood up, and I’m counting on them to continue standing up because we’re going to need that energy of hope and change to really bring a different chapter to our city and to make sure that our better days are ahead.”
At press time, Pardo's swearing-in ceremony was scheduled for Dec. 2, when he would become the first openly gay commissioner in the city of Miami.
(Steven Meiner via Facebook)
Former Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber (R) passes the gavel to newly elected Mayor Steven Meiner (L) during a swearing-in ceremony Nov. 28, 2023.
Miami Beach
Meiner’s victory in Miami Beach was the final leg in an election cycle that resulted in a total of four new members on the seven-person commission. He joins three new commissioners – marketing director and activist David Suarez, marketing and branding professional Tanya Katzoff Bhatt and Miami Beach planning board member Joe Magazine.
Meiner, who was sworn in Nov. 28, faced a long and trying campaign. He secured his first win Nov. 7 when he joined Gongora as the two front-runners in a four-person race. In the final leg just before the runoff, however, a series of accusations of sexual misconduct in the workplace were made against him, leading the Miami Herald to pull its endorsement. Meiner denies the accusations.
(Steven Meiner via Facebook)
The newly elected commission and mayor assumed their seats at the Nov. 28, 2023, swearing-in ceremony.
He later pulled off a win in the runoff with nearly 54% of the vote, securing 765 more than Gongora.
In an interview with the Biscayne Times leading up to the November general election, Meiner said he wants to be known as the “law and order mayor.” He addressed the ongoing issue of how to deal with hectic crowds and crime during spring break by imagining a secured perimeter around Ocean Drive, where police officers can check for guns and other weapons.
The issue was also a leading concern for departing Mayor Dan Gelber, who served two terms in office.
Meiner was also one of the many who characterized the potential plan to replace the historic Clevelander South Beach Hotel and bar on Ocean Drive with a 30-story tower under the Live Local Act as a bluff and a scare tactic, specifically because no official proposal had been submitted to the city before a press release was issued. All of that has changed now that the owners of the hotel followed up with a site plan in October, this time calling for an 18-story affordable housing high-rise with more than 120 units and a restaurant.
Meiner will henceforth be a leading voice in the effort to address the controversial plan while navigating public opinion should it officially come before the commission.