Jesse Scheckner
Miami Beach Commissioner Laura Dominguez needed to collect only 984 verified petition signatures to qualify for the city’s November election.
As of this week, her campaign said, she has amassed roughly double that sum.
Dominguez’s campaign reported collecting “nearly 2,000 petitions, reflecting strong grassroots enthusiasm and deep community support for her resident-focused leadership.”
In a statement, Dominguez said she sees the accomplishment not merely as a “procedural milestone” but a “powerful statement about the strength of our grassroot movement.”
“I’m incredibly grateful to every resident who signed a petition and to the amazing team of volunteers and supporters who helped make this possible,” she said.
“Together, we’re continuing the work of putting residents first and moving Miami Beach forward.”
So far, Dominguez is running for her Group 2 seat unopposed. But that hasn’t stopped her from racking up notable endorsements, including nods from the Miami Beach Fraternal Order of Police, International Association of Firefighters Miami Beach Local 1510, Ruth’s List Florida, Equality Florida Action PAC and SAVE Action PAC.
Dominguez won a race in 2022 to finish the elected term of her late partner, Mark Samuelian, on the seven-seat City Commission. She has since led initiatives to convert transient properties into residential spaces, advance resiliency efforts and worked to eliminate wasteful government spending.
Her campaign website lists nearly 60 accomplishments, including her sponsorship of measures to roll back alcohol sales in certain parts of the city to 2 a.m., expand a noise-reduction and environmental pollution ban, back LGBTQ initiatives and revise local code enforcement to reduce the cost of compliance.
She is Chair of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee, where she’s focused on reducing crime, expanding police resources and ramping up law enforcement efforts during peak tourism seasons.
Her other community involvements include serving as a Board member of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and the local chapter of the World Affairs Council.
A Cuban American born in Miami-Dade County, Dominguez worked in management for a quarter century in the cruise and travel industry before launching a media and marketing company, LD Digital Strategies, in July 2020.
Before her election to the City Commission, she served on several condo and homeowner association boards.
Dominguez is one of four Miami Beach candidates the city’s chapter of the Democratic Party is backing this year. Others include Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez for Mayor, Commissioner Alex Fernandez, and Miami Design Preservation League Executive Director Daniel Ciraldo, who is running to succeed Rosen Gonzalez in the Group 1 seat.
Miami Beach’s elections are nonpartisan.
The city’s General Election is Nov. 4. The qualifying deadline is Sept. 5.
