Jesse Scheckner
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and South Miami Mayor Javier Fernández think social media influencer Alex Otaola was out of line for claiming Democrats have overseen a “communist penetration” of the county.
Levine Cava called Otaola’s comments false and divisive.
Fernandez described them as “disgusting.”
Florida Politics published an interview Tuesday of Otaola, one of six people running to unseat Levine Cava. In it, Otaola described himself as a political outsider determined to “clean Miami-Dade of the bureaucracy, communist penetration and financial corruption that has hurt the county in the past.”
He said President Joe Biden’s administration has “given oxygen” to dictators in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua by easing U.S. sanctions. In Miami-Dade, he claimed, “frontmen” are funneling laundered cash back to those oppressive regimes while “no one at the county level (is) willing” to stop them.
That’s nonsense, Levine Cava said in a statement.
“While my opponents have been focused on falsely attacking my record and trying to divide our community, I have been squarely focused on our critical challenges with real solutions. From public safety to housing affordability, and protecting our world-class environment while empowering our middle class families, we have invested resources and cut our property tax rates to ensure our residents can thrive and succeed,” she said.
“I am proud to have bipartisan support from 75% of our city Mayors from across Miami-Dade as my promise has been clear from day one — I will always leave partisan political differences behind and lead with vision, integrity and a commitment to results.”
The Miami-Dade Mayor’s job is technically nonpartisan, as are its elections, meaning all seven candidates are on the Aug. 20 ballot. Levine Cava is the lone Democrat in the race. Republicans include Otaola, Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid, ex-Surfside Mayor Shlomo Danzinger and actor Carlos Garín.
Miami-Dade Libertarian Party Vice Chair Miguel Quintero and no-party transport executive Eddy Rojas are also running.
Fernández, a former Democratic state lawmaker now in his first term as South Miami’s top elected official, had even harsher words for Otaola.
“As a Cuban-American Mayor, it’s disgusting that Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s opponent would inject such lies and misinformation about her record and leadership,” he said in a statement. “Levine Cava has been a fierce advocate and champion for freedom and democracy and has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Cuban community as we all call out the Castro regime’s brutal oppression on the island.”
Christian Ulvert, Levine Cava’s senior adviser, said Otaola “would be better served listening to our community rather than lecturing with such hateful and false narratives.”
“My family fled the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua and my husband escaped the Chavez dictatorship from Venezuela, so I find it deeply insulting and offensive for Alex Otaola to inject such vile comments about the Mayor,” he said. “While he continues to launch his false attacks, the Mayor remains solely focused on attacking the issues facing our community and delivering proven results for our residents and families.”
Voter records show Otaola was a registered Democrat from 2012 to 2020, when he switched to the Republican Party. He briefly changed his affiliation to NPA in 2023 before re-registering as a Republican this year.
He is third overall in fundraising for the Mayor’s race, behind only Levine Cava and Cid. Much of the money came through his “Hola Ota-Ola!” show, which surged in viewership during the 2020 election cycle, when he backed the re-election effort of ex-President Donald Trump.
