Former (read: disgraced) Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Martin Zilber has outraised and outspent every other candidate in the special election to fill the vacancy in the Miami Commission District 2 seat. He collected $275,000 in contributions between his campaign account and his political action committee, Beautify Grove Miami.
More than everyone else combined.
According to the latest campaign finance reports, Zilber has raised $129,260 in his campaign report, almost three times as much as the next highest banker, which is Downtown Neighbors Alliance President James Torres, with $48,325. Former TV journalist and communications consultant Sabina Covo is right behind Torres with a total of $43,926 raised. Eddy Leal, the Miami city attorney on unpaid leave to run for this seat, raised $28,125.
According to some local poll that Ladra keeps hearing about, these four frontrunners are joined by Javier Gonzalez, with $16,096 in contributions, and June Savage, with $21,750 for the top voters’ choices. Everyone else is wasting their time and money, since many of them are self funding.
Read related: Miami D2 candidates file first campaign finance reports for special election
Zilber collected $40K in January, including a few new bundles: $8,000 from real estate investor and developer Sergio Rok, at least $4,000 tied to real estate investor Pierre Heafy, $3,000 from Aabad Melwani, operator of the Rickenbacker Marina and $2,000 from former county mayor Alex Penelas and his company.
Yeah, Penelas is supporting Zilber, the judge who resigned rather than face any discipline for his ethical lapses, and Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla‘s hand-picked puppet. Ain’t that something?
But the big money is in the PAC. Beautify Grove — which uses Alex Miranda, the same consultant as Zilber — reported $234,500 raised just in January for a total of $329,502. Add the campaign account and the ex-judge is approaching half a million dollars on this effort.
Top donors to the PAC are attorney Jay Solowski ($21,000), who is also the Vice President of the Brickell Homeowners Association, Marc Sarnoff, through his PAC, Truth is the Daughter of Time ($25K), and real estate and development company Gencom Platform ($20K).
Former Coral Gables Commissioner Frank Quesada — business partner of John Ruiz, who wants to build a football stadium at Tropical Park — gave Zilber’s PAC $10,000. So did Raymond and Rene Gonzalez of Limousines of South Florida, who want to privatize all public transit. The owners of A+ Mini Storage gave $5,000 and developer Russell Galbut gave $3,000.
Zilber is paying at least four consultants. In addition to Miranda, he has Jesse Manzano, Anthony Bustamante and Michael Valdes-Fauli on the PAC’s payroll.
And now we know that former State Rep. Manny Prieguez, who is now a lobbyist, has almost completely funded two other PACs, at least one of which has gone on the attack against Zilber. Prieguez, who once helped finance Diaz de la Portilla’s campaign, gave $7,500 to Miamians for Truth, Fairness and Justice, which put out at least one mailer, and $5,000 to Miami Moving Forward. Miami Prosperous has not reported any contributions.
Read related: Miami District 2 race gets heated with attacks and smears on lead candidates
Torres has a couple of bundles of his own. Mana Moishe gave him $7,000 and real estate investor/developer Meir Shai Ben-Ami.
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And lobbyists Pantin and Carlos Lago, brother of the Coral Gables mayor and Slapgate lunchmate of ADLP, gave to both Zilber and Sabina Covo — hedging their bets. Brian and Alex Shack, from the management team at Braman Motors, also hedged their bets, giving to Zilber and Eddy Leal.
The next campaign finance reports are due Feb. 23, four days before the election. And PACs don’t have to report again until March. That means we won’t know who paid for all the smear attacks until after the election.
But at least this is something.
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