Latest news with #JoeCarollo
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Xavier Suarez, Miami's first Cuban-born mayor, plans to run for mayor again
Xavier Suarez, the first Cuban-born mayor of Miami and the father of the city's current mayor, announced Monday that he plans to file to run for mayor. Suarez's announcement landed hours after a judge ruled that it was unlawful for the city of Miami to postpone its November 2025 election to November 2026 without voter approval. The city quickly filed a notice of appeal. 'I'm energized,' Suarez said in a brief interview with the Miami Herald. He said he plans to file his candidate paperwork Tuesday morning. Suarez became the city's first Cuban-born mayor in 1985. He was reelected to a two-year term in 1987 and then to a four-year term in 1989. Suarez's announcement tees up a potential redo of the 1997 mayoral race, when Suarez and Joe Carollo went head-to-head. Carollo, now a city commissioner, has long been teasing a run for mayor in November. Carollo, the incumbent, initially lost to Suarez in 1997. But the election was overturned because of ballot fraud, and Carollo was declared the winner the following year, serving as mayor from 1998 to 2001. READ MORE: Dynasty city: How three Miami families may extend their decades of political power Suarez's son, Francis Suarez, was elected mayor in 2017 and is termed out of office at the end of the year. If Xavier Suarez is elected in November and serves the entirety of the four-year term, a Suarez will have occupied the position of Miami mayor for 12 consecutive years. Xavier Suarez said Monday that the city 'could use a serious reform.' That includes supporting ballot initiatives to move the city elections to even-numbered years and to expand the City Commission from five to nine members. Suarez said in a press release that he also plans to 'actively oppose' a proposal from Commissioner Damian Pardo to create lifetime term limits for elected officials. That ballot referendum is heading to voters in November. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Miami Can't Delay Its Election by a Year, Judge Rules
Miami city commissioners violated the Florida Constitution when they voted last month to postpone this fall's election to November 2026, a state judge ruled on Monday, saying that such a change required voter approval. The judge, Valerie R. Manno Schurr of Florida's 11th Judicial Circuit, ruled in favor of Emilio T. González, a candidate for mayor. He sued in late June after the City Commission voted 3 to 2 to delay the election, a move it said was meant to save money and improve turnout. Critics noted that it would give elected city officials an extra year in office. The postponement had led to public outcry from candidates who had already filed to run, and from some voters who said the process had been undemocratic. Mayor Francis X. Suarez and one city commissioner, Joe Carollo, are supposed to leave office at the end of this year because of term limits. Mr. Carollo voted against postponing the election; Mr. Suarez signed the approved ordinance into law. The commissioners and the mayor cannot lawfully change the date of a municipal election by ordinance, the judge wrote. Postponing the election from an odd-numbered year to an even-numbered one amounted to amending the city's charter, which would require approval from the electorate, she ruled. The judge cited the Miami-Dade County charter, which governs cities in the county, including Miami, under the Florida Constitution. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Carollo calls $500K he spent to elect Rosado ‘worst political mistake' of his life
As he left the most recent Miami City Commission meeting this month, a seething Joe Carollo had harsh words for his new colleague, Ralph Rosado: 'You will never be a future mayor.' In less than a month, the longtime city commissioner went from bankrolling Rosado's campaign and celebrating his subsequent victory, to deeply regretting the sleepless nights and mountains of cash he spent to ensure Rosado would become the city's next District 4 commissioner. During the breakneck six-week special election, Carollo's political committee, Miami First, spent over a half-million dollars on Rosado's election. But according to Carollo, his help went far beyond mere financial assistance. In an interview with the Miami Herald, Carollo laid out his winning strategy that he said catapulted Rosado from trailing 25 percentage points behind opponent Jose Regalado to defeating Regalado with 55% of the vote last month. At the end, just 548 votes separated the two. That strategy entailed staying up until 2 or 3 a.m. creating campaign mailers, spending three days filming Rosado's 30-second campaign ad, and ultimately dragging the Regalado name through the mud to decimate any goodwill associated with one of South Florida's most prominent political families. A flurry of anti-Regalado attack mailers accused the former assistant building director of abusing animals and alleged that the Regalado family has ties to international drug traffickers. Rosado, who declined to be interviewed for this story, said in a written statement to the Herald that he ran a 'positive, issue-focused campaign.' Rosado said Carollo's 'insights were appreciated' but that 'ultimately, the decisions about our message, outreach and the contrasts we drew were made by our campaign, and we're proud of the way we connected with voters and executed our plan with integrity and focus.' Rosado's opponent sees it differently. 'It was character assassination,' Regalado told the Herald in a recent interview. 'It wasn't a positive campaign. It was one of the most negative campaigns I've ever seen in my life.' Carollo says he was heavily involved in Rosado's campaign and that Rosado was '100%' aware of what was taking place behind the scenes — including the anti-Regalado smear campaign. But now, weeks after Rosado's swearing-in, Carollo regrets those efforts. 'It's the worst political mistake that I've made in my life,' said Carollo, who was first elected to the Miami City Commission in 1979. His change of heart follows several City Commission votes by Rosado that Carollo took issue with. That includes Rosado's tiebreaker vote in favor of postponing the upcoming November election to 2026 — a measure backed by the mayor — as well as Rosado's vote to shutter the Bayfront Park Management Trust in January of next year. Carollo previously chaired the Trust, but he was ousted from the agency earlier this year, and it was turned over to his rival, Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela. Rosado now joins Gabela on Carollo's ever-evolving list of political adversaries — a roster that currently includes Commissioner Damian Pardo and Mayor Francis Suarez, whose political committee spent over $1 million on Rosado's election. 'I didn't expect anything with Ralph Rosado, with the exception of him coming here to be an honest commissioner,' Carollo said. 'I didn't expect him to come here to be a lap dog — another lap dog — for Mayor Suarez.' Carollo explains his winning strategy While Suarez outspent Carollo 2-to-1 in support of Rosado's campaign, Carollo maintains that his efforts, paired with help from his wife, Marjorie, are the real reason Rosado was victorious. 'It's not just the money. … It's the strategy,' Carollo said. He added: 'Bottom line is that if Mr. Rosado had not had an angel like Joe or Marjorie Carollo, he never, never, never would have gotten elected.' In a sit-down interview with the Herald, Carollo explained a two-prong strategy that he said paved the way for Rosado to defeat Regalado by less than 600 votes. Step one was to run a negative campaign not just against Regalado, but his whole family. Carollo said such a strategy was required in this particular situation, where there was less than two months to campaign and where Rosado was facing off against a member of one of South Florida's most powerful political families. Jose Regalado's father, Tomás Regalado, is a former Miami mayor and city commissioner and currently serves as the county's property appraiser; Jose Regalado's sister is Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado. 'I could've ran just a straight campaign of being positive, and you could not have beaten these people in what really amounted to four weeks of advertising,' Carollo said. 'You could've done it in six months, maybe. But not in four weeks. Not [against] the Regalado name.' Of the $547,000 that Carollo's political committee, Miami First, spent on Rosado's election, the vast majority — over $420,000 — went to radio and television ads, according to campaign finance reports. Another $86,000 was spent on mailers and printing alone. 'You had to expose the negative of the Regalados, and you had to do it in a way that you give people the truth with the proof,' Carollo said. 'And that's how we did it: the truth with the proof.' (Regalado, meanwhile, has called Carollo's claims completely baseless.) District 4 residents were getting inundated with a sea of negative mailers, television and radio ads. But it couldn't only be negative, Carollo explained, because that would leave voters so disillusioned that they might skip the ballot box altogether. So the second step of his strategy involved offering voters a positive alternative to Regalado. Carollo went as far as offering Rosado almost a complete copy-paste of a mailer Carollo sent out in his own 2021 run for city commissioner, in which Carollo is holding up his grandson. In a visually similar mailer, Rosado is seen holding up his nephew. Carollo said he designed the mailer, although it says it was paid for by Rosado's campaign. Carollo also said that he and wife, Marjorie, spent a total of three full days filming Rosado's 30-second campaign video. That included one day of meeting and interacting with Rosado's family members off-camera, followed by two days of filming. Carollo told the Herald that he and Marjorie directed the video and were heavily involved in its production. That's different from what Rosado has stated publicly. He initially told political blogger Elaine de Valle that Carollo was not with him at Douglas Park filming a campaign video. When de Valle told Rosado that she had a video clip showing Carollo and his wife seemingly directing a shot, Rosado told her he would get back to her but never did, de Valle reported. When the Herald later asked Rosado to clarify the incident, he described something serendipitous, saying Carollo happened to be in the Douglas Park area while Rosado was filming, so he decided to swing by and offer some insights. But that's not true, Carollo said. 'Everything that was said there was written by my wife and myself. Everything,' he said of Rosado's 30-second ad. Mayor's involvement Carollo also described a coordinated effort between himself and Suarez to get Rosado elected. While Carollo would handle the negative campaigning, Suarez would focus on the positive side, Carollo said. Suarez's political committee, Miami for Everyone, spent $1.1 million on Rosado's election, according to campaign finance reports. That includes $900,000 that went directly to Rosado's PAC. Suarez declined to be interviewed for this story. In response to written questions, he denied Carollo's claim that there was a coordinated effort of any sort. 'I'm proud to have supported Ralph Rosado for Commissioner,' the mayor said. 'He ran on a clear, public platform and made his positions known throughout his campaign — including to your publication.' Suarez said Carollo's claims 'come at a very particular time, in light of the recent Commission votes that could impact his and his family's ability to continue making a living out of the city taxpayer's pockets.' 'For the past two and a half years, our office has had a positive working relationship with Commissioner Carollo's office,' Suarez continued. 'However, now Commissioner Carollo is throwing out baseless claims hoping something sticks — but you have to ask: why now, and not a year ago or two years ago? These are the same political tactics we've seen for years, and they're as transparent today as they have ever been.' Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo blasts Miami election change, calls move "legally and morally wrong"
City of Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo is publicly condemning a recent decision by city leaders to shift municipal elections from odd-numbered to even-numbered years, an adjustment that effectively extends the terms of sitting elected officials by one year, including his own. "What the City of Miami is doing is wrong," Carollo said at a press conference Tuesday. "I am one that, yes, it was going to benefit me. It would give me an extra year. But like I said, it's legally wrong and most importantly it's morally wrong." Carollo was one of only two commissioners to vote against the change. At the news conference, Carollo took aim at term-limited Mayor Francis Suarez, accusing him of backing the election change for personal and political reasons. "A mayor who is term-limited out, who has nowhere to go because whatever talk you've heard—appointments to the Trump administration—that would never happen. It can't happen," Carollo said. In response, Mayor Suarez issued a sharp rebuttal. "It's unfortunate, but not surprising, that Commissioner Carollo has chosen to distort the facts and make baseless accusations in a transparent attempt to try to score political points," Suarez said in a statement. "Commissioner Carollo's outburst today was less about the legislation itself and more about putting on a political performance. His exaggerated theatrics and baseless accusations reflect a pattern of behavior we've seen before. When he doesn't get his way, he resorts to spectacle," Suarez added. He went on to criticize Carollo's own public service record. "Let's also not forget: Commissioner Carollo has made a career out of living off city taxpayers, first as an elected official, then collecting a generous city-funded pension, and now living off the taxpayers again. This reform would put an end to this gravy train. Perhaps that's the real reason why he is so flustered suddenly," Suarez said. The measure was sponsored by Commissioner Damian Pardo, who argued it would boost voter engagement. "You're no longer running in a 10 percent voter turnout scenario. You're now running in a 60 percent voter turnout scenario," Pardo said in a podcast clip shared on social media. Carollo was originally named in a lawsuit filed by former city manager and mayoral candidate Emilio Gonzalez, but Carollo and his attorney now say they will join the legal effort challenging the city's decision. "I think that Commissioner Carollo's position is crystal clear. This was a complete unconstitutional ordinance. And we stand by the plaintiff to strike it down," said Carlos Salazar, Carollo's attorney. Both Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier have warned city leaders that the election change may violate state law.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Miami mayor and Joe Carollo spent $1.6 million on Ralph Rosado's election last month
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Commissioner Joe Carollo bet big on last month's special election, spending a combined $1.6 million in support of Ralph Rosado, who beat Jose Regalado for the open District 4 commission seat. Their investments paid off. Rosado beat Regalado 55% to 45% in an election where just 5,346 people — or 11% of the district's registered voters — cast ballots. Newly released campaign finance reports for the second quarter of 2025 show that Suarez and Carollo — two political powerhouses who've spent more than 35 collective years in Miami City Hall — spent heavily on the race between Rosado, an urban planner, and Regalado, a former assistant building director who bears the name of one of South Florida's most prominent political families. In a statement to the Miami Herald, Rosado noted that he was an 'underdog' in the race against Regalado, adding that he is 'deeply grateful to everyone who stepped up to offer support, advice, or simply returned a call.' 'That support allowed us to run a positive, forward-looking campaign,' Rosado said. 'However, it is important for everyone to understand that I remain committed to voting based on what I believe is right and in the best interest of the residents of District 4 and the City of Miami. My priority has always been — and will continue to be — serving the people of our community.' Suarez's political committee spent more than double what Carollo's spent, according to the reports. The mayor's PAC, Miami for Everyone, reported $1.1 million in expenditures for the months of April, May and June. The bulk of that money — $900,000 — was given directly to Rosado's political committee, Citizens for Ethics in Government. Another $170,000 was spent on firms tied to Rosado's campaign manager, Jesse Manzano-Plaza, for political consulting, phone banking, polling, data research and canvassing. Manzano-Plaza has also managed Suarez's campaigns in the past. 'I'm proud to have supported Ralph Rosado in the City Commission District 4 race,' Suarez said in a statement to the Herald. 'Ralph is a dedicated public servant I have known for many years, going back to when he ran for that same seat in 2017. Ralph represents the new kind of leadership our city needs — principled, independent, and focused on results. I look forward to working alongside him to move Miami forward.' The mayor did not directly respond to a question asking why he decided to spend such a significant sum on the race, nor did he say whether he has any expectations of Rosado in light of his seven-figure spending. Carollo's political committee, Miami First, reported spending $547,000 in the second quarter. The majority of that money — over $420,000 — was spent on radio and television ads, according to the report, and another $86,000 was spent on mailers and printing alone. In explaining why his PAC spent a half-million dollars, Carollo told the Herald that polling initially showed Rosado down by 25 percentage points. Carollo said that factor, combined with the fact that the special election took place over a truncated six-week timeline, meant extraordinary efforts were needed 'to win a campaign that no one else thought was winnable.' Otherwise, Carollo said, 'You couldn't win in such a short time going after such a known name like the Regalados.' Meanwhile, the PAC supporting Regalado spent a fraction of what Carollo and Suarez invested into Rosado's campaign. The PAC tied to Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser Tomás Regalado, who is Jose Regalado's father, reported spending $388,000 in the second quarter on canvassing, polling, social media, advertising and more. The family of late Commissioner Manolo Reyes, whose death created the District 4 vacancy, threw their support behind Regalado in last month's election. Reyes' PAC, Transparency & Accountability for Miami, reported spending just over $61,000 during the months of May and June.
