Two municipal leaders back Annette Taddeo for Governor

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 3/2/22-Sen. Annette Taddeo, D-Miami, has a quiet laugh with a colleague during Senate discussion of her amendment about vasectomies during second reading of the bill prohibiting abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, Wednesday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. Taddeo’s amendment saying that a physician many not perform a vasectomy unless two physicians certify they have counseled the man seeking the procedure that it will prevent further life from being created was voted down a few minutes later. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

Two municipal leaders have added their names to the list of current and former elected officials backing Democratic Sen. Annette Taddeo’s run for Governor.

On Thursday, Miami Shores Village Council Member Katia Saint Fleur and former Aventura Commissioner Gladys Mezrahi announced their endorsements of Taddeo’s campaign.

“No one knows their community like municipal leaders,” Taddeo said in a statement. “Both of these leaders have dedicated their careers to improving the lives of Floridians. Every day they are there (at) ground zero, combatting the issues that Floridians face on a daily basis.

“As Governor, I look forward to helping municipal leaders across the state do the work that is necessary to create a Florida that works for everybody.”

Saint Fleur and Mezrahi highlighted Taddeo’s boots-on-the-ground approach to campaigning and governing. Taddeo has operated a statewide RV tour in which she is visiting all 67 Florida counties.

“I’m proud to support Sen. Taddeo in this race because she will stand up for all Floridians,” said Saint Fleur, a media professional in private life who won election last year. “Now more than ever, we need a battle-tested candidate that has a pulse on what is going on in our community and will fearlessly stand up for our values. Sen. Annette Taddeo is that candidate!”

Mezrahi — whose foundation, The Power of Heels Foundation, mentors girls to become strong and independent women — said Taddeo has community links no other candidate in the race can match.

“We need leadership that values every single community and municipality across this state,” she said. “Sen. Taddeo is displaying that leadership by traveling to every single county and personally meeting the people where they live, getting to know them, understanding their needs as well as their upbringing and traditions.

“By connecting emotionally and culturally, Sen. Taddeo has shown that she will be a true ally in the Governor’s Mansion that will help us get the resources we need to be there in a more effective and caring way at the local level.”

The recent endorsements join many others. In February, Miami-Dade County School Board members Luisa Santos and Lucia Baez-Geller joined Orange County School Board member Johanna López in backing Taddeo.

That same month, Latino Victory Fund leaders announced their support.

In January, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava — the county’s first woman Mayor — threw her support behind Taddeo. If elected, Taddeo would become the state’s first woman Governor and its first Latina chief executive.

Other endorsers include Sen. Victor Torres of Orlando, Rep. Kevin Chambliss of Homestead, Rep. Richard Rangel of Osceola County, Miami-Dade Commissioner Jean Monestime, Miami Beach Commissioner and Florida House candidate David Richardson, Orange County Property Appraiser Amy Mercado, former Rep. Juan Carlos “J.C.” Planas, former Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner and former Pinecrest Vice Mayor James McDonald.

Taddeo faces several opponents in the Democratic Primary, including Republican-turned-Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, who served as Governor from 2007 to 2011, and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat in Florida.

The winner of that race will face Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a powerhouse fundraiser whose war chest dwarfs the combined gains of all his Democratic competition.