Former Miami City Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla, who was suspended from office by the governor last year following his arrest on charges of money laundering and bribery, is considering running for mayor of Miami in 2025, he told the Miami Herald on Friday.
The announcement lands one day shy of the anniversary of Díaz de la Portilla’s Sept. 14, 2023 arrest . Prosecutors have accused him of orchestrating a scheme to route nearly a quarter-million dollars in campaign contributions to two political committees he controlled in exchange for his support on a land development project.
Díaz de la Portilla is scheduled to go to trial in December. He has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
In a series of text messages to the Herald on Friday, Díaz de la Portilla said he is weighing a run for one of the open City Commission seats next year, as well as for mayor. The current mayor, Francis Suarez, is termed out next year.
“That is what I have done for over 30 years,” Díaz de la Portilla wrote. “I like to serve the public.”
The District 3 seat, which is currently held by Commissioner Joe Carollo, will also be available as Carollo reaches his term limit next year. Meanwhile, District 4 is presumed to be open after Commissioner Manolo Reyes announced his plans to run for mayor. The District 1 seat is currently occupied by Miguel Angel Gabela, who unseated Díaz de la Portilla in a November runoff.
Díaz de la Portilla declined to specify which seat he intends to run for.
“I don’t look at elections as parochial in nature. Anywhere in the city I was born and raised in…Miami,” he said.
Asked if he is considering running for mayor in particular, Díaz de la Portilla wrote: “Yes. Polling looks good.”
Campaign finance records show that a political committee he controls — the one at the center of the criminal charges against him — purchased voter data twice in August. The Miami-Dade County Elections Department confirmed to the Herald that it provided the information to Díaz de la Portilla and pollster Robert Schmidt. Schmidt told the Herald he helped connect Díaz de la Portilla with the Elections Department but said that he’s not currently helping him with polling.
Díaz de la Portilla said he was not concerned that the pending charges against him would impact his ability to win.
“I also don’t think that President Trump is too concerned either,” he said. “Weaponizing legal forces or law enforcement departments to [achieve] political goals only used to happen in third world countries. We can never allow it to happen in our country. It is a threat to our democracy.”
He also took the opportunity to throw barbs at Reyes, an early entry in the race.
“He will get his ass handed to him…not Mayoral material and everyone, including himself, knows it,” Díaz de la Portilla said. “Miami needs a Mayor that truly knows what he’s doing.”
Reached by phone, Reyes said in response to Díaz de la Portilla’s comments that “I have more experience in Miami than he has in all his life.”
“Miami needs a mayor that works for the people, not for himself,” Reyes added. “A mayor that is honest, that doesn’t run to fill his pockets.”
Miami Herald associate editor Joey Flechas contributed reporting.
Local News
