Doral’s mayoral race: Voters will decide on leadership for deeply divided government

The city of Doral, which has been plagued by contentious council debates on key issues such as budget approval, the hiring of a city manager and nightclub regulations, faces a crucial election on Nov. 5.

Voters will decide whether to reelect the current mayor or opt for a new face to lead the divided government.

Doral’s mayor has limited power, because most of the executive authority is in the hands of a city manager, but the governing structure itself will be on the ballot on Nov. 5, with 10 proposed amendments that could affect everything from the election process itself to council members’ salaries to the mayor’s responsibilities.

Two candidates are competing for mayor: The incumbent, Christi Fraga, the first female mayor of Doral, who has 10 years of experience in city government, including eight as a council member and two as mayor, along with two years on the Miami-Dade School Board. Her opponent is Roxanna Garay, a businesswoman who advocates for clean energy policies and aims to foster unity at City Hall, despite her lack of political experience.

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Fraga, 37, believes her work as mayor is far from over, given the city’s constant growth and evolution.

“We need to maintain a strategic balance, protecting our city’s family-friendly character while continuing to enhance the quality of life and addressing what matters to residents,” said Fraga, who has an associate’s degree in business administration from Miami-Dade College and a bachelor’s degree in financial management and accounting from Florida International University.

Fraga counts as her achievements as mayor the opening of Doral Central Park — the city’s largest —and the recent repeal of lifetime pensions for council members. That measure passed narrowly, 3-2, with support from Fraga and council members Maureen Porras and Rafael Pineyro, a close ally who is also seeking reelection . “We’ve achieved a lot in a short time with limited resources. Our efficiency speaks for itself,” Fraga said.

The city’s pension-plan repeal, though, was recently overturned by a judge, who ruled in favor of four former Doral elected officials, declaring that the city violated the state Constitution . The city now has to decide whether to appeal.

Despite the setback, Fraga, who believes the city has a strong appeal case, said the judge’s ruling “doesn’t diminish our achievement; we had the courage to revoke it.” She has said that repealing the pensions was a significant milestone that would save the city money that could be used for a training program for seniors, increasing the size of the police force and reducing crime.

Fraga, who is often in the minority on council votes, feels the authority of the mayor is at risk in the election, because several of the proposed amendments would redefine how power is shared within city government.

“The council members are not allowing the mayor to do the job the residents elected [me] to do,” she said.

Critics contend that Fraga struggles with leadership and has been unable to unite the council around her policies. Fraga argues that the opposition is driven by personal agendas, particularly those of council members who previously served under Mayor Juan Carlos Bermúdez, including members Digna Cabral and Vice Mayor Oscar Puig-Corve.

Porras, who ran on a slate with the mayor two years ago but has since been the swing vote against her on many proposals, is a frequent critic too. She said that while the two originally shared a vision for Doral, “it became apparent that the mayor was more interested in keeping things the same and concentrating power.... The mayor has failed in her ability to lead the council and unite council members for the common good.”

Fraga says that Porras’ opposition is based on personal interests. “I’ve been serving Doral community for twelve years and have always maintained a consistent position,” she stated. “I’m not the one changing my stance and surprising the community like Porras did.”

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Garay, 37, an entrepreneur in freight forwarding and technology, envisions transforming Doral into a “fully smart city” — a municipality that uses technology to improve residents’ lives and optimize city operations. She has a bachelor’s in Business Administration and Management with a minor in logistics and real estate from FIU, and is pursuing a master’s degree in engineering with a focus on Sustainable Smart Cities at the University of Alabama.

Doral has already earned several certifications for embracing new technologies, but Garay said her initiatives would go beyond what the city already has achieved. “My goal is to develop a city that is fully autonomous and capable of efficiently collecting, reusing, and harnessing natural resources.”

She said she decided to run for mayor after realizing that Fraga had no challengers, and believes the community deserves a fresh perspective. Garay submitted her paperwork to run on the last day of qualifying, July 12. “As a businesswoman from Doral,” she said, ”I felt it was essential to provide the community with another option and a different focus.”

Doral voters frequently express concerns about four key issues: traffic congestion, flooding, over-development and a county waste-management incinerator that many long-time residents would like to see moved out of city limits.

The incinerator

Fraga said the city has made a significant push to relocate the incinerator. But the county government has pushed back, demanding $400 million for the move. Doral, which has offered $20 million, recently said at a town hall meeting that the city may file a legal dispute to compel the county to negotiate in “good faith.”

Garay, who like many residents supports relocating the waste plant outside Doral’s limits, proposes an innovative approach for managing the city’s waste. She suggests that Doral could convert its waste into valuable resources that can be exchanged or sold to utility companies. While the city currently lacks its own waste facility, Garay envisions a “solid partnership” with the Miami-Dade to achieve this goal.

“We could implement a super-organic waste process” Garay said, that would be akin to composting.

Congestion

Traffic congestion continues to be a major concern for residents, who face daily gridlock on the city’s streets, even outside of rush hours. Over the past decade, rapid commercial and residential development has exacerbated the problem. The city’s population grew from approximately 45,000 in 2010 to 79,359 in 2023, significant growth that has contributed to the traffic challenges.

Fraga said the city is exploring options for building new roads. She said “the only other option” to improve congestion is changing the local transportation system, including trolleys and Freebee, the free on-demand, door-to-door transportation service. The plan involves redesigning the system to establish more direct trolley routes, reducing the number of stops. Last year, the city added 10 new trolley benches and introduced eight new trolleys to help alleviate congestion.

While Garay advocates using new technologies to alleviate traffic congestion, including smart traffic signals that adapt to real-time traffic patterns and weather conditions. She also supports scheduling truck deliveries outside of rush hour, and offering economic incentives to companies that participate in the plan. She noted that the Florida Department of Transportation could potentially fund many of these proposals.

Over-development

Residents have frequently criticized the council for too readily approving mixed-use developments. Fraga said she has opposed some of the largest projects during her time as a council member and mayor, including the Donald Trump development on Northwest 87th Avenue . The project, which passed its first vote 3-2 in August with opposition from Fraga and Pineyro, would involve construction of 1,429 residential units and 141,000 square feet of retail space on the edge of the Trump National Doral resort.

“It’s extremely important to not be afraid to make the difficult decisions and say no, and I’ve done that clearly several times, not just now,” Fraga said. “I’ve been opposed to high-density development since I was a council woman.”

Garay refrained from criticizing development in the city, noting that growth has positioned Doral as one of the most sought-after and fastest-growing cities in the state, as highlighted in the Doral Economic Analysis Report 2024 by FIU. However, she believes development should be managed by a sustainability department to oversee its impact. The department would ensure that green building policies adhere to the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method standards — a global sustainability framework that ensures buildings are designed and constructed to be environmentally friendly.

Flooding

The city of Doral frequently faces street flooding during heavy rain, a persistent concern for residents. One of the hardest-hit areas is a private section of Northwest 79th Avenue, which has struggled with flooding long before Doral became a municipality 21 years ago. Fraga said that the most effective solution in that area is for residents to find the money for repairs to their properties. The city has made clear can’t use public funds for improvements in private areas.

Fraga said the city is prioritizing improvements to the drainage system for more efficient and rapid water removal and installing new pumps.

Garay envisions a future where all waste is transformed into valuable resources. She said she is committed to treating flood waters for reuse, rather than allowing it to flow into canals. Central to that strategy, she said, is creating a sustainability department.

Key proposals

One of Fraga’s key proposals is to develop part of the 50 acres donated by Century Homebuilders Group to the city in 2021 for a wetland park. This land exchange, approved by former Mayor Bermúdez and the previous council, allows more housing and commercial spaces in Midtown Doral. Fraga envisions transforming 14 acres into recreational facilities, including pickleball and tennis courts, soccer fields and possibly baseball diamonds.

While she recognizes the challenges of securing the money for the project, Fraga plans to present the proposal to the council in early 2025. She suggests exploring a variety of funding options, such as parking impact fees, general revenue, reserves and possibly public-private partnerships. She said that maintaining the land in its current state offers no value to residents.

The proposed site is located behind Miami-Dade Fire Station 69, between Northwest 74th and 82nd streets and between Northwest 107th and 112th avenues, less than a mile from Doral Legacy Park.

In contrast, Garay believes Doral should shift its focus toward creating a dedicated sustainability department. The department would oversee development impacts and ensure that green building policies are used throughout the city. Her primary goal as mayor, she said would be to transform the entire local transportation system, including phasing out internal-combustion engines in favor of more sustainable options.

In addition to the mayor’s race, two of the five council seats are on the ballot: Seat 1, where incumbent Pineyro, is seeking reelection, and Seat 3, which Vice Mayor Puig-Corve is vacating. There are three candidates running for that seat.

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