Jesse Scheckner
Miami Lakes Council member Josh Dieguez won a runoff to become the new Mayor of Miami Lakes, defeating Vice Mayor Tony Fernandez by a comfortable margin.
With all seven precincts reporting, Dieguez had 56% of the vote to win the right to succeed Manny Cid as Miami Lakes’ top elected official.
Just 3,987 of the town’s 21,093 registered voters (19%) cast ballots Tuesday. Dieguez won by 490 votes.
A 35-year-old lawyer serving his second term on the Town Commission, Dieguez was forced to a runoff on Nov. 5 with Fernandez, a 53-year-old business owner, when neither secured more than half the vote.
He ran on a record of voting to lower Miami Lakes’ tax rate, increasing the town’s reserve fund and implementing projects to address flooding.
He vowed to prioritize public safety, work to lower the tax rate further and enhance local parks. He also promised to work with county and state policymakers to increase the town’s highway connectivity and address nearby limestone blast mining that residents have long complained causes damage to their homes.
Florida Politics contacted Dieguez for comment but could not reach him by press time
Fernandez ran on a commitment to maintain Miami Lakes’ character while improving local services. After it was clear the vote tally was not in his favor, he told the Miami Laker, “I did my best. It wasn’t in the cards, but you know, on to bigger and better challenges.” He said he intends to continue serving the community “in whatever capacity that I’m useful to the town.”
Notably, the Mayor position in Miami Lakes comes with limited power, unlike the strong-Mayor job at the county level. Most of the executive work is done by the Town Manager, who reports to the Town Council.
Fundraising reports show Dieguez and Fernandez were neck-and-neck in raising campaign cash.
Dieguez raised about $85,000 and spent $74,500 by Nov. 14. Recent donors include former Miami-Dade County Transportation and Public Works Director Alice Bravo, now an engineer in the private sector; former Coral Gables Commissioner Jorge Fors, who ran unsuccessfully for the Miami-Dade Commission in 2022; lobbyist Max Losner, the son of Homestead Mayor Steve Losner; and consultant James Tundidor, a family member of Hialeah Council member Jesús Tundidor who last year sued Hialeah and its former Mayor for a raid of a strip club he and family members own.
Fernandez raised $81,000 and spent $65,700. A significant share of his gains was self-given.
Dieguez and Fernandez were the only names on the runoff ballot. Earlier this month, 63-year-old construction professional Angelo Cuadra Garcia defeated 45-year-old auto parts executive Mario Pinera to replace Fernandez in Seat 1 of the six-person Town Commission.
In the Aug. 20 Primary, 53-year-old realtor J.C. Fernandez and 35-year-old lawyer Steven Herzberg won Seats 3 and 5, respectively replacing Marilyn Ruano and Luis Collazo.
Their names and photos are already on the Miami Lakes website, though all new members will be sworn in on Dec. 10. They’ll join Seat 2 Council member Ray García, 52, and Seat 6 Council member Bryan Morera. Morera, 34, defeated former Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Town Manager Esther Colon in an April Special Election to determine who would serve the remaining term of ex-Vice Mayor Carlos Alvarez, who resigned last November.
Cid left office this year to run for Miami-Dade Mayor, placing a distant second in a seven-person contest for the county’s top elected office.
Miami Lakes Council members and the Mayor are elected and serve at large, meaning all town residents can vote for candidates seeking any elected office in a given election. Term lengths are typically four years.
