Miami-Dade Democratic Party infighting leads to Committee Chair’s ouster

Image via Florida Politics.

Behind-the-scenes squabbling among members of the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee (DEC) has resulted in the removal of a party officer.

Several party members said that the incident is a symptom of continuing dysfunction despite recent leadership changes.

The party’s elected Chair, Miami Gardens Sen. Shevrin Jones, said it was necessary to maintain morale and cohesion in a vital election year.

Jones told Florida Politics Tuesday that he removed longtime DEC member Cecilia Tavera-Webman from her post as Chair of the party’s Credentials Committee after she told other members she wasn’t voting in two Miami-Dade races.

The Democrats running in those races, she said, “do not deserve my vote or trust.”

Tavera-Webman sent the message from a personal email account Friday, along with a screenshot of the Nov. 5 ballot with the races in question crossed out.

One was for Florida’s 27th Congressional District, where Democratic Miami-Dade School Board member Lucia Báez-Geller is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar. The other was Miami-Dade Clerk, for which former Democratic state Sen. Annette Taddeo is challenging Republican Juan Fernandez-Barquin, an ex-state Representative Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed last year.

“I have never left a candidate position blank,” she wrote. “This time I feel very strongly that the candidates do not deserve my vote or trust. If you have questions about this, please feel free to contact me and we can discuss.”

Shortly after, Jones fired off a message to party members saying he had gotten complaints about Tavera-Webman’s email and had requested her resignation.

“On behalf of the DEC leadership team, I sincerely apologize for this situation,” he said. “With only 34 days left, it’s crucial that we stay focused and united.”

Asked for comment later, he told Florida Politics by text, “I’ve been committed to restoring unity and a positive spirit within the party since I was appointed Chair of the DEC. Unfortunately, I had to remove the previous Credentials Committee Chair due to an email she sent from her personal account to DEC members and non-members, discouraging support or votes for certain Democratic candidates.

“While individuals have the right to express their opinions in a personal capacity, and (while) she did not use DEC intellectual property to send the email, it’s still not appropriate for someone in a leadership role — especially one overseeing the induction of new members — to take actions that undermine party unity.”

Jones then referenced a party conference call from the day before Tavera-Webman sent her email. During the call, some participants criticized him for not condemning Miami-Dade Commission Chair Oliver Gilbert, a Democrat, who in May endorsed incumbent Republican state Rep. Vicki Lopez over her Democratic challenger, Jackie Gross-Kellogg, in Democratically leaning House District 113.

“I have consistently emphasized the importance of honoring the Democratic oath we all committed to, and under my leadership, I will not tolerate anything less,” he said.

“It’s no secret that Chairman Gilbert and I are lifelong family friends, but he is also a Democrat who has helped many Black candidates in Miami Gardens and beyond get elected — candidates who would not have received support without him. I am not in the business of throwing Democrats under the bus or publicly humiliating them. My support is for Jackie, and the DEC’s support is for Jackie as well.”

Reached by phone Tuesday, Tavera-Webman declined to talk on-record about her email or Jones’ response to it. She said she had no plans to resign as Credentials Committee Chair and was surprised to learn Jones had removed her. Two weeks ago, the Miami-Dade Democratic Party presented her with a “Local Champion for Change” award at its annual Blue Gala.

Gross-Kellogg, whom the Miami-Dade Democratic Party endorsed last month, said Tuesday that for the first time since she filed to run in late May, the Florida Democratic Party (FDP) had recently provided her campaign with in-kind aid.

It’s a pittance compared to what Gross-Kellogg needs, said documentarian Billy Corben, a frequent critic of the FDP and Miami-Dade Democratic Party who in April engaged in a brief but contentious battle with Jones for the then-vacant DEC Chair position after the ouster of then-Chair Robert Dempster.

FDP Chair Nikki Fried said in March that she removed Dempster and two other county Chairs as part of “an overall strategy to get our local parties back on track” and flip seats blue in November.

Corben said Fried’s done everything but that.

“Nikki Fried inherited a dumpster, and all she’s done is light a match,” he said. “They are proactively supporting Republicans and punishing Democrats who call that out.”

The FDP last week designated Gross-Kellogg as a “Take Back Florida” candidate and said it will apportion to her campaign the same funds and help — including grassroots-level support from Kamala Harris’ campaign — it is giving 20 other congressional and state legislative candidates this year.