A runoff will decide City of Doral Mayor, and Seats 1 and 2
2022 Midterm Elections Results
By: Maria Alejandra Pulgar
A total of 14,731 Doral electors voted, either in person or through mail-in ballots, to voice their choice in a race that was tight since the very beginning. As a result, only one of the four Council Seats up for grabs was decided this Tuesday, November 8th.
Digna Cabral was reelected with 58.57% of the votes (8,216) over Juan Carlos Esquivel, who obtained 41.43% (5,812 votes).
The campaign will continue for one more month to help electors decide who will be Mayor and who will occupy Council Seats #1 and #2, given that none of the candidates in those races obtained the 50%+1 needed to call the election.
In the Mayoral race, Christi Fraga got 5,995 votes (40.70%), whereas Claudia Mariaca obtained 4,487 votes (30.46%), Pete Cabrera 3,989 votes (27.08%), and Haim Otero 260 votes (1.76%). The December runoff election between Fraga and Mariaca will define who will lead the City for the next two years.
The candidates who move on to the runoff election for seat #1 are Susie Castillo, who received 6,100 votes (43.49%), and Rafael Pineyro 4,568 (32.57%). Frank Gamez obtained 1,472 votes and Carlos Pereira 1,887.
Seat 2 will also be defined in December between Ivette Gonzalez-Petkovich, who received 6,004 votes (43.20%), and Maureen Porras, who got 5,301 (38.14%). The third candidate, Juan Manuel Sucre, obtained 2,593 votes (18.66%).
The race for a seat to serve in the Doral Council is not over yet; electors should make plans ahead to participate in the runoff this December 13th. Mail-in ballots can be requested up to 10 days before Election Day.
The results of this election will completely reshape the Council for the upcoming years. It is not a decision to be made lightly. Community participation is of utmost importance, and voting is a right and duty that all Doral residents should exercise to influence the decisions that impact the lives of everyone in the City.
The new Doral Council will be sworn-in after the run-off elections in the last Council Meeting of 2022 scheduled for December 21st.
The State Republican Trifecta
Governor Ron DeSantis was reelected, and both chambers of the State Legislature have a Republican majority, consolidating what is called a State Republican Trifecta. Florida is also a Republican Triplex, given that the Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State are all from the same party.
At the federal level, US Senator Marco Rubio won the reelection, and Republicans won 20 of the 28 House seats. The South Florida Delegation will be composed by Republicans Mario Diaz-Balart (District 26), Maria Elvira Salazar (District 27), Carlos Giménez (district 28) and Democrats Federica Wilson (District 24) and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (District 25).
State amendments defeated. County Amendments passed
All three amendments proposed by the Florida Legislature failed to obtain the 60% of votes needed to pass, according to Article XI Section 5(e) of the Florida Statute. The first amendment proposed a limitation on the assessment of properties that had improvements related to resistance to flood damage. The second amendment proposed the abolition of the State Constitution Revision Commission, which convenes every 20 years to review and proposed adjustments. A third amendment proposed the creation of another homestead exception of $50,000 for certain workforce groups.
On the other hand, the three referendums at the County level passed with broad support. The first measure approved allowing the School Board “to enact a property tax of 1 mill ($1 per $1,000 of property value) to fund school operations and teacher compensation”. This measure passed with 65% of the votes.
The second referendum passed with 81.24% of the votes, allowing a change on the County Charter to modify the oath of office of the Mayor and Commissioners. With this modification now, they will swear to “support, protect and defend the Miami –Dade County Home Rule Charter and the government of Miami-Dade County.”
County Charter to require an oath of office for Mayor and County Commissioners swearing or affirming “that they will support, protect and defend the Miami-Dade County Home Rule Charter and the government of Miami-Dade County.”
Finally, the third amendment passed allows a change on the Charter to require electors’ approval to the Board of County Commissioners before transferring ownership or governing authority of the Miami International Airport, Port, or Expressway Authority.