Ryan Nicol
Reports of crime could be impacting Miami Beach voters’ priorities ahead of the Nov. 2 election, a new poll shows.
The McLaughlin & Associates survey shows a majority of respondents — nearly 52% — say Miami Beach is moving in the wrong direction. A slim majority — 53% — also say crime and safety are the most important issues on voters’ minds. That leads flooding and sea level rise at 20%, growth and development at 13% and rebuilding the economy at 10%.
Mayor Dan Gelber maintains a +24 approval rating, with 57% approving and 33% disapproving. That’s a drop of 13 points since February, however, according to McLaughlin & Associates. Gelber earned a 62% approval rating in February with only 25% disapproving, for a net +37 rating.
McLaughlin & Associates is a typically Republican-aligned pollster, with dozens of GOP clients in its catalogue. The pollster also earned a rating in the “C/D” range according to FiveThirtyEight’s pollster rating system, making it fair to question how close its recent numbers are to reality.
But Miami Beach has seen its fair share of crime in recent months. That includes a string of seemingly random assaults by a group of cyclists in the popular South Beach region, an area popular with tourists and residents alike. Police have connected the group of bikers to a handful of similar attacks dating back to March.
That could play in voters’ minds as they weigh their choices in the Nov. 2 municipal election. According to the McLaughlin & Associates survey, nearly 41% of voters approve of the city’s handling of crime and safety issues, while more than 54% disapprove. That’s a net rating of -14. February data from McLaughlin & Associates showed a -4 net approval rating.
The survey ran Aug. 6-8 and sampled 300 Miami Beach voters.
Still, Gelber likely remains the favorite to secure reelection. Ronnie Eith, Carlos Gutierrez and Konstantinos Gus Manessis have all filed to challenge Gelber. But Gelber has been raising plenty of cash during his reelection bid.
As of July 31, Gelber holds more than $220,000 in his war chest. Eith and Gutierrez haven’t raised any money, and Manessis has less than $100 on hand.
After first winning the Miami Beach Mayor position in 2017, Gelber won a second two-year term in 2019 unopposed. He was also recently endorsed by SEIU Florida.
2 comments
Michele mccrann
August 19, 2021 at 10:36 am
Majority rule doesn’t work in this American society.
Desantis is worse than Scott as Gov of Florida!
Money shouldn’t decide any election!
KB4Diving
August 19, 2021 at 1:04 pm
Are you serious? DeSantis has always stood up for the rule of law along with supporting our police officers. Whereas, the common thread in states and cities run into ground in the last year by the likes of BLM and Antifa, where crime is rampant and goes largely unpunished, where police departments have been defunded, stripped of qualified immunity and experiencing record resignations is Democrat leadership (or lack thereof)… a phenomenon which I believe is all part of a broader democrat strategy to collapse our country from within before rebuilding it into a dependent third world sh#thole. Don’t buy it? Then suggest looking at places like LA, Chicago, Portland, Seattle and New York to name a few… and wonder why in the hell families and businesses are leaving these states for Florida and Texas, where the rule of law is not dictated by a bunch of failed liberal legislators and their pet AGs.
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