Jesse Scheckner
A regional chapter of the self-described “largest commercial construction trade association in Florida” is backing Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid to lead Miami-Dade County.
The Florida East Coast Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) just endorsed Cid for Miami-Dade Mayor.
Cid announced the nod Tuesday. He said in a statement that he is honored to have the organization’s support.
“The construction industry is vitally important for our working families and small businesses in the 305, hence why we need a Miami-Dade Mayor who celebrates this industry that provides good paying jobs in our community,” he said.
“I’m committed to protecting an industry that is immensely important to the economic mobility of many in our county.”
The ABC endorsement joins another from the Miami Young Republicans.
Cid is one of four Republicans running to unseat Levine Cava, a Democrat. Other GOP candidates 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.
However, the Mayor’s office and its elections are nonpartisan, so all seven candidates will be on the Primary ballot. 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 that 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.
Cid said Levine Cava’s leadership has led to a shrinking middle class in Miami-Dade, which bill payment site doxo ranked the third-most expensive Florida county for household expenses this year, behind only Monroe and St. Johns.
“As (Levine Cava’s) administration works to shrink the middle class in Miami-Dade, my promise is to preserve and grow the middle class as they are the true engine,” he said. “Levine Cava believes in a binary community where only the very wealthy and extremely poor live. This was the model for the destruction of LA and NYC, but we will stop her disastrous administration on Aug. 20 when we make a Miami-Dade that works for all of us.”
The race for Miami-Dade Mayor will further test how much more Miami-Dade had 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.
