Key Biscayne Mayor Joe Rasco on Wednesday joined two dozen other local mayors and endorsed Daniella Levine Cava for a second term as Miami-Dade’s mayor.
“She has worked closely with me,” said Rasco. “We’re lucky to have a mayor who’s responsive.”
Joining Rasco were leaders of most of the County’s 34 municipalities, including Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, Pinecrest Mayor Joe Corradino, Cutler Bay Mayor Tim Meerbolt, and Palmetto Bay Mayor Karyn Cunningham.
Although the office is non-partisan, Levine Cava ran her first campaign strongly allied with Democrats. But the list of endorsements Levine Cava released was bipartisan. Rasco, a former governmental affairs director who worked for Levine Cava, is a Republican.
Levine Cava will be challenged by outgoing Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid, a Republican, conservative YouTube host Alexander Otaola, and Miguel Quintero, a Democrat. District 7 commissioner Raquel Regalado and Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez are also potential GOP-aligned candidates.
Candidates will face each other in an August primary next year. If no candidate gets at least 50% of the vote, the two top candidates will square off in the November presidential election.
Invest in Local News for Your Town. Your Gift is tax-deductible
Tony Winton is the editor-in-chief of the Key Biscayne Independent and president of Miami Fourth Estate, Inc. He worked previously at The Associated Press for three decades winning multiple Edward R. Murrow awards. He was president of the News Media Guild, a journalism union, for 10 years. Born in Chicago, he is a graduate of Columbia University. His interests are photography and technology, sailing, cooking, and science fiction.