Former District 7 opponent endorses Cindy Lerner for Miami-Dade Commission

Cindy Lerner ran to bring her state, municipal and legal experience to County Hall. Image via Cindy Lerner.

This week, ex-Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner collected an endorsement from a former opponent who hopes to see Lerner unseat incumbent Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado in District 7.

Public schools police officer Richard Praschnik, who sits on a Miami-Dade zoning appeals board, placed third in the Primary for District 7. Neither Lerner nor Regalado captured a large enough portion of the vote to win outright, forcing them to again compete in a runoff.

Less than a week later, Praschnik is officially backing Lerner, a Democrat, over Regalado, a fellow Republican, for the seat.

“Cindy shares my values when it comes to protecting our neighborhoods and putting community interests before special interests. I am confident that she will be a Commissioner who finally provides some representation to those of us in Kendall, who feel ignored by current leadership,” he said in a statement.

“I know that Cindy Lerner will be a County Commissioner that District 7 can trust and count on to show up when it matters.”

Lerner said in a statement that she believes Praschnik ran an “honorable campaign and helped give voice to Kendall residents in District 7 who feel like they aren’t being seen or heard at County Hall.”

“I look forward to working with Richard on this campaign and on the County Commission toward our shared goals: more ethical government, putting a check on overdevelopment and giving residents a greater voice in their local government,” she said.

Praschnik received 9% of the vote in the Aug. 20 Primary. Regalado received a 49% share, while Lerner received 42%.

A candidate had to take more than half the votes to win outright.

District 7 spans Pinecrest, Key Biscayne, portions of Miami and South Miami, and the unincorporated Kendall and Sunset neighborhoods.

Regalado, a former Miami-Dade School Board member, told Florida Politics that she counted the outcome as a victory and precursor to her winning even more decisively in the General Election.

“I won tonight,” she said, “and I’m looking forward to beating her again in November.”

Lerner said she believes the district’s residents want a change.

“The power of incumbency isn’t so powerful,” she said. “With over 50% of the voters not wanting to re-elect their Commissioner, I stand ready to win the runoff in November.”

The General Election is on Nov. 5.