Jesse Scheckner
Former state Rep. Juan-Carlos “J.C.” Planas emerged victorious Tuesday from a three-way Democratic Primary for Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections.
With all precincts reporting, Planas had 46% of the vote to defeat political consultant Willis Howard and digital media entrepreneur Arnie Weiss, who took 39% and 15% of the vote, respectively.
“Thank you, Miami-Dade! Tonight, we celebrate victory in the primary election, and I am incredibly grateful for the support of everyone who stood with us. To my wife and kids, my team, volunteers, and every single voter who believed in our vision for a stronger, more transparent democracy—thank you. Your dedication and tireless efforts have brought us to this moment,” he said in a statement.
“But let me be clear: the fight is not over. We now turn our focus to November, where we must continue this momentum and ensure democracy is protected by electing a Supervisor of Elections who will ensure free and fair elections continue in Miami-Dade County. Together, we can strengthen our elections administration, and protect democracy for all. Let’s keep pushing forward—our work is just beginning.”
Howard said he was grateful for the opportunity to run for elected office.
“I hope voters will stay involved in the process, he told Florida Politics by text. “Thank everyone for their support, votes & prayers!”
Planas is now setting his sights on the General Election in November when county voters will choose between him and Republican Miami Rep. Alina García as the successor to Christina White.
Tuesday marked the first time since Miami-Dade adopted its Home Rule Charter in 1957 that voters went to the ballot box to select a Supervisor of Elections (SOE) rather than see the post filled by appointment.
In terms of public service, elections law knowledge, funding and in-party support, Planas was the clear front-runner.
The 54-year-old former prosecutor and St. Thomas University College of Law professor represented Miami-Dade as a Republican in the House from 2002 to 2010. He switched to the Democratic Party after the first impeachment of Donald Trump, citing the ex-President’s attacks on voting rights and lies that the 2020 election was stolen.
Planas plans, if elected, to upgrade the county’s elections website, ramp up voter registration efforts and look into using QR codes to track mail-in ballots.
Between when he filed last July and early August, Planas raised more than $105,000, including a $10,000 self-loan, and spent close to $81,000 on various campaign advertising, voter outreach and upkeep expenses.
An unaffiliated political committee supporting his campaign called Friends of JC Planas raised $500,000 from a single source, mortgage loan originator Eduardo Fernandez, but had only spent $14,000 on digital ads by Aug. 2.
Roughly a dozen local leaders endorsed Planas, along with Senate Democratic Leader-designate Jason Pizzo, Homestead Democratic Rep. Kevin Chambliss and advocacy organizations like SAVE Action PAC, SEIU Florida and SEIU Local 1991.
Not-so-flatteringly, Planas holds the distinction of being the first person in the history of the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust to be fined for filing a frivolous complaint, a penalty stemming from his work for former state Representative and Miami Beach Mayor candidate Mike Grieco, who is now under a one-year Florida Bar suspension for campaign finance violations.
Planas is appealing the decision.
Weiss, 55, was in distant second place in fundraising heading into the Primary’s home stretch, with $70,500 added to his campaign coffers since he launched his campaign in late May. Most of it was his money. But he was also the most active spender in the race, using all $4,300 of his war chest by Aug. 2, much of it on advertising.
Weiss said he’d bring a much-needed perspective to the SOE job, having twice taken on the county about election matters. The first instance was over the use of touch-screen voting machines in 2004, when he sued Miami-Dade to require a paper record of ballots and better accommodations for older voters who have trouble using the technology.
More recently, he aired a grievance with the Elections Department after it notified him he was at risk of removal from its voter rolls for inactivity, an issue the Florida Democratic Party has been sounding the alarm about following the passage of new election laws.
Weiss vowed, if elected, to create a “detailed technical product and project road map” for the Department to make voting more accessible. It included allowing voters to cast ballots at every precinct on Election Day, the same as is allowed during early voting, and updating the Department’s technology to improve processing and security. He also wanted to use text and email messages to notify residents facing voter roll removal.
After Tuesday’s results came in, Weiss released a statement saying, in part, that the next Supervisor of Elections “must be aspirational and modernize the approach to increase voter turnout beyond just mail.”
“They must move away from the 20th Century infrastructure that will only continue to produce the same disappointing turnout and sow doubt in things like signature matching and ballot harvesting,” he said. “The (Democratic Executive Committee) needs to also take a long look at how little effort they made to introduce the pool of candidates and offices that were on the ballot to the voters. We had many great candidates and ideas up and down the ticket in this primary and it is a shame that the voters never got to meet them or hear what they had to say.
“The party failed to ever hold or sponsor any post-qualifying debates, conventions, gatherings, or GOTV event to give all of the candidates a chance to introduce themselves to the voters despite having several first-time races on the ballot and others with no incumbent.”
Weiss also said he’ll continue to push State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle’s Office for answers about a curious incident in which he received an Internal Revenue Service letter meant for Howard. He called it an “obvious attempt at election interference.”
Howard, 50, is a well-established political player who worked for many North Miami Beach officials and as the strategic consultant for former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum’s gubernatorial campaign in 2018.
Of nearly $67,000 he raised between April 2023 and July 2024, more than two-thirds came from his bank account. He spent $27,000 on print and digital advertising.
If voters picked him, Willis said, he’d work to make the Department more transparent, better fund its communications department and open more offices.
In what some interpreted as a swipe at Planas before he’d officially entered the Primary fray, Howard described himself as a “tried-and-true Democrat” who has “never switched” political parties.
This month, Political Cortadito flagged flyers Howard sent out featuring a misleading slate card that told voters to cast ballots for Miami-Dade Commissioner Rob Gonzalez and School Board member Mary Blanco, both Republicans appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Howard said he’d included them, along with recommendations to vote for Key Biscayne Mayor Mike Davey for Congress and himself for SEO, to “help (his) community out” by sharing “the best people to vote for.”
In 1957, Miami-Dade voters abolished several constitutional officers — including SOE, Tax Collector and Property Appraiser — through the adoption of the county’s Home Rule Charter. The charter delegated those offices’ powers to Miami-Dade’s top executive official, now the county Mayor, who has appointed people to those posts.
But in 2018, Florida voters — including 58% of Miami-Dade voters — approved a constitutional amendment requiring every county in the state to elect those officers, as well as a Sheriff, by Jan. 7, 2025.
White, a Democrat, confirmed in June that she would not run this year to keep the job to which she was appointed in 2015.
Since she filed to run in February, García has been a fundraising powerhouse, stacking more than $433,000.
Trump endorsed her in May.
The General Election is on Nov. 5.
