Jesse Scheckner
Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez is no longer running for re-election unopposed.
Luidgi Mary, a self-described “community advocate and longtime Miami Beach resident,” just switched from running in a crowded race for the City Commission’s open Group 1 seat.
He’s instead running in Group 3, where he aims to deny Fernandez a second four-year term.
“This isn’t just a campaign,” Mary said in a statement. “It’s a fight to take Miami Beach back from the political machine.”
In a press note Tuesday describing Fernandez as a “career political staffer, anointed by special interest groups,” Mary positioned himself as an outsider opposed to overdevelopment and the spread of short-term vacation rentals. He he accused Fernandez of enabling both of those problems while failing to prioritize the residents who elected him.
Mary, 44, changed his primary residence from Miramar to Miami Beach in 2019, one year before he switched his political affiliation from independent to Republican. In terms of community involvement, he cited work with the Miami Beach Police Athletic League through AmeriCorps and support for Mount Sinai Medical Center.
He has also served on Miami Beach’s Black Affairs Advisory Committee, appointed by City Commissioner Joseph Magazine, city records show.
His campaign website says he was born at Jackson Memorial Hospital and raised in Miami-Dade County.
“I’m not a career politician. I don’t owe favors. And I’m not here to play games,” he said. “I’m here to be a real partner to this community.”
The website does not include what Mary does for a living. Amazon.com lists him as an author and biographer with one book for sale. He also has a lone credit on IMDB, and a now-dead Backstage.com link lists him as an actor, voice talent and biographer.
Another now-dead YouTube link shows he used to run a podcast, though all videos on the site now appear to be deleted.
Mary contended residents have seen Miami Beach government drift from their interests, citing quality-of-life concerns, increased housing costs and a local government that he claims no longer listens to its people.
“I’m not here to play it safe. I’m here to hold the line,” he said. “We need someone who lives among the people, not someone who lives for the politics.”
If elected, he vowed to support policies that provide “clean streets, public safety that works, preserved history, stronger schools and a local economy that actually works for us.”
So far, Mary has reported raising $330 from two donors.
Mary previously filed to run in Group 1, where he faced six others vying to replace Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who is vacating her seat to run for Mayor.
Fernandez, 38, spent nearly 20 years in legislative and public policy roles at Miami-Dade County and the city of Miami Beach, including work under former Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa and service on numerous city advisory boards.
State records show he has lived in Miami Beach for well over a decade. He switched from the Republican Party to no party affiliation in 2020, then from no party affiliation to Democrat in 2023.
He filed for re-election in May and, due to Florida’s relatively new quarterly reporting requirements, won’t have to report fundraising since then until July.
A political committee he launched in February reported raising $5,350 between Feb. 8 and March 31, 93% of which came from the parent company of Mr. Jones Nightclub on Lincoln Road.
The City Commission is technically nonpartisan, as are its elections.
Miami Beach’s General Election is on Nov. 4.
