Kevin Marino Cabrera bursts into Miami-Dade Commission race, reports $100K week

Political and government relations specialist Kevin Marino Cabrera is only one week into running for the Miami-Dade County Commission, but based on a report from his campaign, he’s already proving to be a formidable fundraiser.

On Wednesday, Cabrera’s campaign said his new political committee, Dade First PC, amassed more than $100,000 in just seven days toward his bid to succeed term-limited Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa in District 6. That puts him within striking distance of fellow Republican Orlando Lamas in the contest.

Cabrera’s official fundraising figures for April are still pending. Reports are due May 10.

His campaign lists contributors including state Reps. Vance Aloupis, Sam Garrison, Daniel Perez, and Anthony Rodriguez (also running for the Commission) as well as lawyer and former Rep. Carlos Trujillo, who served as United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States under former President Donald Trump; former state Sen. Anitere Flores; and Maximo Alvarez, owner and president of Sunshine Gasoline.

“I am grateful to my friends and family for their help and show of support since filing,” Cabrera said in a statement. “I am excited to continue knocking on doors and listening to my neighbors, so I can be ready to serve them with integrity and respect as their County Commissioner.”

A senior vice president with the global public strategy firm Mercury, Cabrera filed for the Miami-Dade Commission race on April 26. He previously served as an elected Councilman on a Miami-Dade land-use zoning board.

Cabrera, married to Coral Gables Republican Rep. Demi Busatta Cabrera, has worked for numerous GOP politicians, including Trump, former Gov. Jeb Bush, former U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo and Florida Supreme Court Justice John Couriel.

His path to victory in the (technically) nonpartisan Miami-Dade Commission race became more apparent over the weekend when Republican Florida House Speaker Pro Tempore Bryan Ávila ended his campaign for the Commission to instead run for a seat in the state Senate.

Ávila had raised more than $910,000 since filing to run in June 2021. Lamas, meanwhile, who in March pivoted his campaign from a run at the House to a run for the Commission, had about $138,000 as of March 31.

Cabrera will also face Republican entrepreneur Dariel Fernandez, a self-described “business owner, talent host, producer, influencer, author, philanthropist and politician” who owns and operates Ponemous Inc., a software development firm in Coral Gables.

Fernandez filed to run around the same time independent candidate Ibis Valdés withdrew from the contest.

District 6 covers a Republican-leaning area that includes the cities of Miami Springs, West Miami, parts of Miami, Coral Gables, and Hialeah, as well as a portion of the county’s unincorporated area including Miami International Airport.