Jesse Scheckner
Citing Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar’s refusal to face voters in dialogue, Democratic candidate Richard Lamondin hosted a well-attended town hall this week to give residents answers he says they’re not getting from her.
He promised community members more responsive, compassionate lawmaking under his leadership while fielding pointed questions at St. James Baptist Church in the heart of Florida’s 27th Congressional District.
It was an event unlike any Salazar has held since she was elected in 2020, he said.
That’s not exactly accurate; Salazar did attend a GOP town hall on Cuba last year. She’s also hosted multiple “meet and greet” events and made myriad public appearances during her five years in office.
But her general disinclination to discuss policy and politics in an open, potentially unfriendly forum hasn’t gone unnoticed by her political opponents in recent years. Salazar skipped a town hall Democrats say they invited her to in March, and there’s a slow-going petition on the progressive public policy group MoveOn’s website demanding she schedule in-person town halls.
Lamondin tapped into that frustration Tuesday night to some 60 town hall attendees on issues ranging from immigration and crime to the economy and education.
While a Republican currently represents CD 27, he said, the district isn’t distinctly red or blue; it’s tired.
“It’s tired of hypocrisy. It’s tired of a Congresswoman who, by the way, says one thing in Spanish and another thing in English, and she expects the bilingual people in her cities won’t notice,” he said.
“I’m tired of my Nicaraguan, Cuban, Venezuelan and Haitian neighbors being told that if they don’t go back to the countries that are brutal dictatorships, they must fear for their lives. And I am tired of having to pay rent for child care because right now there is no public child care system in this country. And so tonight, we’re doing this town hall not because I like talking … but because I think that politicians have not been doing the thing that they need to do most, which is listen and which is be a conduit for the needs of their community.”
During the event, a self-identified lawyer took exception with Salazar’s penchant for taking credit for federal infrastructure, education and health care appropriations that she voted against authorizing.
“She goes out to (Florida International University) with the big check for them. She takes credit for infrastructure projects, all of which she voted against. They were part of (former President Joe) Biden’s bills,” the speaker said.
“I get her little newsletter about how much she’s doing for people in other countries, not here, never about her constituents here. She is so distressed about Venezuelans having the temporary protected status withdrawn. But she voted for that.”
Lamondin echoed those frustrations, blasting President Donald Trump’s decision to remove protections from immigrants who fled oppressive regimes.
“These are countries that are dangerous to be in if you care about democracy. But they tell us, to the Venezuelan people in particular, ‘You can all go back now. Your temporary protected status is over,’” he said. “Both things can’t be true. You cannot have a dangerous narco-state run by a bloodthirsty dictator and tell the people here that it is safe to go back.”
Lamondin, the co-founder and CEO of the environmental tech company EcoFi, touted his record of delivering real-world results, including conserving more than 10 billion gallons of water and preventing more than 300,000 metric tons of carbon emissions, all while lowering renters’ utility bills.
He entered the CD 27 race in May and raised more than $250,000 by the end of June. Salazar, meanwhile, reported nearly $1.7 million in cash on hand — the most of any Florida incumbent seeking re-election.
Others running include Democrats Alexander Fornino and Robin Peguero, the latter of whom former Key Biscayne Mayor Mike Davey endorsed before dropping out of the race this month.
Fornino reported raising $21,300 so far. Peguero filed to run July 15 and isn’t required to report on his fundraising or spending until Oct. 15.
CD 27 spans the municipalities of Miami, Coral Gables, Cutler Bay, Key Biscayne, Pinecrest, North Bay Village, South Miami, West Miami and several unincorporated areas.
Analyses of CD 27, as redrawn by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, showed it was much safer for Republicans ahead of the 2024 election. It was still considered South Florida’s most closely divided congressional district.
Biden won the district under its old borders in 2020 by 3.3 percentage points, according to MCI Maps. Two years later, post-redistricting, DeSantis won it by 17 points, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio won there by 15.
Salazar coasted to re-election in November by nearly 21 points.
