Manny Cid campaign reports raising $122K in first month running for Miami-Dade Mayor

Manny Cid said Miami-Dade government would benefit from some down-sizing. Image via Manny Cid.

Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid collected more than $122,000 in donations in September, his first month running for Miami-Dade County’s most powerful local office, his campaign said.

The contributions, which came through his campaign account and political committee, The People’s Voice, have yet to be officially reported with the county and state.

Candidates face a Tuesday deadline to report all campaign finance activities between July 1 and Sept. 30, per Florida’s new quarterly fundraising report requirements.

Cid said in a statement that nearly 40% of the money he received came through personal checks of $100 or less from “teachers, nurses, small business owners, retirees, and other working class” county residents.

“This is a reflection of the momentum behind our mission to build a Miami-Dade County that works for ALL of us. These funds will ensure that we have the resources to focus on the issues that matter most to residents: their pocketbooks,” he said.

“For too long, county government has used people’s homes and businesses as a debit card for wasteful spending by raising taxes and fees despite soaring property values and increased tax revenue. We did the opposite in Miami Lakes, and I will fight to extend that culture of financial stewardship to all of Miami-Dade County.”

Cid, a Republican, is one of three people running against incumbent Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat who last week reported raising almost $470,000 in the third quarter of 2023. The three-month haul would bring her total gains since launching her re-election bid to roughly $2.6 million.

Republican social media influencer Alex Otaola and Democratic trapeze artist Miguel “el Skipper” Quintero are also running.

Otaola reported raising $160,500 through Sept. 30. An electioneering communications organization supporting his candidacy, Miami-Dade a Communist Free Zone, raised an additional $33,000 through July 31 and pends Q3 fundraising reporting.

Quintero raised about $2,300 in Q3, bringing his total fundraising since he filed in March to $3,300. That includes about $1,100 in self-loans and a $33 check from Monique Barley-Mayo, a business consultant and former Miami-Dade Commission candidate who filed to run for Mayor on Sept. 6 but withdrew less than a month later.

The position of Miami-Dade Mayor is technically nonpartisan, as are its elections. Accordingly, all candidates are competing against one another in the Aug. 20, 2024, Primary Election. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the two top vote-earners will compete in a runoff culminating in the Nov. 5, 2024, General Election.