‘Manny will put residents first’: Miami Young Republicans back Manny Cid for county Mayor

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

Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid’s bid to be Miami-Dade’s top county official now carries the support of the Miami Young Republicans.

The group — a partner of the Republican National Committee, Florida GOP and Turning Point Action — published a ringing endorsement of Cid this week, citing the city’s low crime rate and a 9% rollback in local property taxes.

Both happened under Cid’s leadership. Cid, a Miami Young Republicans member, vowed to bring similar changes to the county level with a win in November.

“Manny Cid will put residents first with a bold plan to reduce property taxes to make homes more affordable, eliminate irresponsible spending to protect taxpayers, and clean up government departments that are in crisis,” the group said.

“After four years of Democrat mismanagement, County Hall is in disarray. Spending spirals out of control while government departments are in crisis. Mayor (Daniella) Levine Cava proposes to raise property taxes by billions while working families struggle with astronomical cost-of-living and unaffordable homes. Enough is enough.”

To bolster Cid’s campaign and further distinguish him from five others running to unseat Levine Cava, the Miami Young Republicans is launching “Super Saturday Summer” on July 13.

The “dynamic grassroots operation,” set for a 10.a.m. kickoff at Doral Yard, will include door-knocking, phone calls and other person-to-person activities focused on raising Cid’s stock ahead of the Aug. 20 Primary.

“Manny exemplifies the Republican Party’s highest attributes in service to others,” the group said. “Having powered his campaign for Mayor of Miami Lakes, we are proud to do it again.”

Other Republicans running for Miami-Dade Mayor include ex-Surfside Mayor Shlomo Danzinger, social media influencer Alex Otaola and media personality Carlos Garín. Miami-Dade Libertarian Party Vice Chair Miguel “el Skipper” Quintero and no-party candidate Eddy Rojas are also running.

Levine Cava is a Democrat. Through July, she raised close to $5.5 million this cycle to defend her job, a sum that dwarfs the combined gains of the race’s other six candidates.

All will be on the Primary ballot because the Miami-Dade Mayor’s race is technically nonpartisan. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the two top vote-getters will square off in the Nov. 5 General Election.

An internal poll Cid’s campaign conducted in March found that despite Levine Cava’s sizable funding, media exposure and incumbency advantages, she’s likely to face Cid in a runoff.

The race for Miami-Dade Mayor will further test how much more Miami-Dade has skewed Republican since 2022, when it swung red for the first time in two decades. Statewide, Republicans are on track to outnumber Democrats by 1 million voters by the end of the year.