Jesse Scheckner
Kevin Marino Cabrera’s campaign for the Miami-Dade Commission just received an endorsement from one of his former Primary Election opponents.
On Monday, entrepreneur Dariel Fernandez announced he is backing Cabrera in what is now a two-way race for the District 6 seat on the County Commission.
Fernandez, a fellow Republican who owns and operates a software company in Coral Gables, was one of three other candidates who ran in Primary last month. Now that he’s out of the race, he said he wants to see Cabrera win the seat Nov. 8.
“He has the right combination of private sector experience and community involvement to represent us at the County Commission,” Fernandez said in a statement. “Kevin will lead with conviction and principles, and together we will fight for our families and small businesses, always putting the residents of Miami-Dade first!”
The nod from Fernandez is Cabrera’s 16th personal endorsement this election cycle. Others backing Cabrera’s campaign include former President Donald Trump, whom Cabrera worked for during the 2020 Presidential Election, U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, Chief Financial Officer and Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis, state Rep. Daniel Perez, Miami-Dade Commissioner-elect Anthony Rodriguez, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Hialeah Mayor Steve Bovo and Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago.
Cabrera also enjoys support from state chapters of Associated Builders and Contractors, Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
On Aug. 23, Cabrara placed first in a four-way contest, with 43% of the vote, to succeed Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa, who must leave office this year due to term limits.
Republican Coral Gables Commissioner Jorge Fors Jr. placed second with 26% of the vote, followed by Democratic Miami Springs Councilman Victor Vazquez with 18% and Fernandez with 13%.
Cabrera and Fors, who received endorsements from Sosa and Vazquez, are now competing in a runoff. Miami-Dade law requires a County Commission candidate to receive more than half the votes cast during the Primary to win.
The County Commission is a technically nonpartisan body, as are its elections.
In a statement, Cabrera said he is grateful for Fernandez’s endorsement and support.
“Dariel’s endorsement is a testament to our campaign’s efforts to bring our community together,” he said. “I look forward to working with Dariel over the coming weeks, as we continue to share with the residents of District 6 our positive message of greater transparency and more accountability in County Hall.”
District 6 covers a north-central portion of Miami-Dade, including part or all of the cities of Coral Gables, Hialeah, Miami, Miami Springs, Virginia Gardens and West Miami. The district also contains Miami International Airport, one of the county’s top two economic engines, and a Miami golf course being redeveloped as a soccer stadium complex for the city’s Major League Soccer Team.
The General Election is on Nov. 8. Early voting begins Oct. 24 and runs through Nov. 6.
