DEVELOPING STORY: Coral Gables Commissioner Jorge Fors, who is in a heated runoff for the Miami-Dade Commission seat in District 6, has filed a lawsuit against his opponent, GOP political operative Kevin Marino Cabrera, over what he says are lies and “doctored images” of Fors in a series of mailers.
“I won my current seat in 2019. I know South Florida political campaigns can get ugly, but this is beyond the pale. Enough is enough,” Fors said in a statement. “Cabrera showed us he will do or say anything, even outright lies, to get elected.”
In addition to Cabrera – who campaigned for Donald Trump — the suit also names Anthony Pedicini, a Tampa-based political consultant with a history of legal trouble. Pedicini’s associates are Thomas Piccolo and David
Millner. Their company is Simwins, LLC, and together they operate a number of political action committees including Save Our Quality of Life PC, Citizens Alliance for Florida’s Economy, PC. Political operative, Alex Miranda — once a chief of staff to Democrat Miami Beach Mayor Phil Levine — is named as another co-conspirator.
“Cabrera’s consultants have been sued many times over the years for similar defamatory tactics, including in several other elections just this cycle. I won’t allow them to continue defaming me to elect career lobbyist Cabrera our next Commissioner,” Fors said. “The residents of Miam-Dade County deserve better.”
Read related: Jorge Fors vs Kevin Marino Cabrera = heated Miami-Dade commission race
The complaint states that the defendants are responsible for the “publication and dissemination of various, written defamatory statements and implications in the form of political mailings and text messages, and a civil conspiracy involving the Defendants in furtherance of a plan to defame Jorge Fors for the purpose of improperly and unlawfully influencing the outcome of the 2022 elections for Miami-Dade County Commission through the use of such statements and disinformation.”
Fors’ attorney, Michael Beltran, sent a cease and desist letter demanding that Cabrera’s camp edit or remove a website designed to spread the lies.
Cabrera’s camp, of course, claimed no knowledge or connection to the website and that they had not created it. But the website was taken down within 24 hours of the cease and desist notice.
This story will be updated with more details as it is reported.
Complaint – Jorge Fors v. Kevin Cabrera, Et Al. by Political Cortadito on Scribd
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