Miami-Dade’s top county official and Miami Beach’s immediate past mayor have added their names to the list of current and former political leaders backing Monica Matteo-Salinas’ campaign for the Miami Beach Commission.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and ex-Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber—a former state lawmaker—are endorsing Matteo-Salinas in the Dec. 9 runoff for the City Commission’s District 1 seat.
Levine Cava, a former nonprofit executive who made history in 2020 as Miami-Dade’s first-ever woman mayor, praised Matteo-Salinas’ experience working under two Miami Beach Commissioners and at Catalyst Miami, an organization Levine Cava founded.
“Monica knows how the city works and, just as importantly, how it can work better for the people who call Miami Beach home,” Levine Cava said in a statement. “She has proven herself as a dedicated public servant who leads with diligence and integrity, always putting residents first. I’m proud to endorse her for Miami Beach City Commission.”
Gelber highlighted Matteo-Salinas’ expertise in constituent services, resident outreach, and legislation drafting during her time at City Hall. He expressed confidence that she’ll be ready to lead from day one if elected next month.
“Monica will also have no learning curve upon election. She will immediately understand our sustainability and public safety challenges because she has already worked on them. I know she appreciates our art and culture profile because she helped foster it,” Gelber said. “Local government can sometimes be so slow in first learning and then addressing these challenges. It will be wonderful to have someone who can contribute on her first day on the job.”
He continued, “Finally, and most importantly, Monica Matteo-Salinas walks into the job with a singular perspective: yours. She spent years listening to you, trying to answer your questions and solve your problems. Monica had a reputation for responding immediately and thoroughly. And, by the way, she always did her job with a smile and a can-do attitude.”
These new endorsements add to Matteo-Salinas’ growing list of supporters, which includes Miami Beach Commissioners Tanya Bhatt, Laura Dominguez, and Alex Fernandez, as well as LGBTQ advocacy groups SAVE Action PAC and Equality Florida Action PAC.
Matteo-Salinas, who worked under Commissioner Fernandez and former Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, is facing off against lawyer Monique Pardo Pope for the Group 1 seat. Neither candidate secured a large enough share of the vote in the Nov. 4 General Election to win outright.
Matteo-Salinas is a Democrat, while Pardo Pope is a Republican. Although Miami Beach elections are nonpartisan, party politics often play a significant role in the races. Commission members are elected at-large, meaning the Group 1 seat does not represent a specific geographical district—every Miami Beach voter can weigh in on every race on the ballot.
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/765317-daniella-levine-cava-dan-gelber-back-monica-matteo-salinas-for-miami-beach-commission/
