Jesse Scheckner
Republican Manny Cid has hardly been cagey about his plans next year when he reaches term limits as Mayor of Miami Lakes.
He’s fully committed to running for one of Miami-Dade County’s seven county offices, though one stands out to him as most desirable.
“I’m definitely leaning toward running for county Mayor,” he said. “Most definitely. The more I go around the county and talk to people, the more I realize there is only one position (in which) I can solve all these issues for our residents.
“Is that a final decision? No. I don’t want to say, ‘Hey, I’m doing that tomorrow.’ But it’s leaning in that direction.”
Cid, 39, has enjoyed consistent electoral success in his longtime hometown since winning a Town Council seat in 2012. He’s been Mayor since 2016, when he secured 77% of the vote for Mayor — a post he retained unopposed four years later.
He views Miami Lakes, a roughly six-square-mile municipality with about 30,500 residents, as an exemplar of what the county at large could accomplish with less red tape and a greater concern for helping residents.
As an example, he compared Miami Lakes’ more than 9% property tax rollback the Town Council recently passed to the 1% millage decrease countywide under Democratic Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Homeowners in the county are still expected to see their tax bill grow due to a state policy allowing appraised values to increase by 3% this year.
As was the case with real property across Miami-Dade, home values in Miami Lakes rose as well alongside new construction that brought added revenue into the town. The goal of the millage cut, Cid said, was to pass some of those new earnings on to residents during difficult financial times.
“We have all these new developments and value coming into our community. It’s time we help our residents, especially in an era where they’re paying high inflation and insurance costs. That’s what’s in our control while we also provide great services,” he said. “The Miami Lakes model really bodes well for all of Miami-Dade.”
In a Friday interview with Florida Politics, Cid highlighted several other matters he believes need addressing. All fall under purview of the Miami-Dade Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, from a lack of shade Metrobus stop and arduous permitting processes to residents being charged $7 for parking at public parks and a looming garbage-disposal “crisis” following the shutdown of a trash incinerator earlier this year.
“All these things are happening because there’s no forward thinking,” Cid said. “And the bureaucracy is just way too big.”
Cid said he’s “definitely going to be running countywide” next year and believes he’ll decide whether to seek the mayoralty or one of two other executive positions he’s eying — Tax Collector and Supervisor of Elections — before October ends.
He contends he’ll be “probably one of the most, if not the most, prepared candidates” in any of those fields.
“I spent seven years in the state Legislature as an aide, close to 12 on the Miami Lakes Council — one as a Councilman, three as Vice Mayor and almost eight as Mayor. I own a small business and have a bachelor’s and master’s degree. I’m going to be starting my Ph.D. soon,” he said.
“So, I think I have a pretty well-rounded view of the public sector and private sector that whichever executive position of those three I jump into, you’ll find my skill set and history will bode well.”
Two other candidates have already filed to challenge Levine Cava in what is technically a nonpartisan election: Democratic trapeze artist Miguel “el Skipper” Quintero, whose main objective is to overhaul county code enforcement policies that have adversely impacted his home-based business, and Republican political activist Alex Otaola, a popular YouTuber backed by convicted political operative Roger Stone.
Other potential GOP candidates rumored to be weighing runs include Carlos Giménez, Levine Cava’s immediate predecessor who served as Mayor between 2011 and 2020; Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez; Miami-Dade Commissioner René García, a former state Senator and Chair of the Miami-Dade Republican Party; Hialeah Mayor Steve Bovo, whom Levine Cava defeated 54-46% in the 2020 race for Mayor; Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, who coasted into a second term unopposed in February; and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who since launching a bid for President in June has struggled to factor into national polling.
Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado, whom GOP insiders also named as a potential candidate for Mayor or one of the other seven countywide offices up for grabs next year, told Florida Politics this week that she has committed to running for re-election.
