Florida Dems drop 2 mailers for non partisan mayor Daniella Levine Cava
With about two weeks to go before absentee or mail-in ballots are sent to voters, residents in West Kendall got back-to-back mailers Friday and Saturday pushing for the re-election of Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Not from her campaign. Not from her political action committee, Our Democracy.
The mailers came from the Florida Democratic Party in an indication that they are going to go all out to support La Alcaldesa against a mostly Republican field of challengers in a non partisan race that has become increasingly partisan.
The first one to arrive, on Friday, was one about lowering taxes, which is where she is being hit the most by the frontrunner among the challengers, Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid. After he blasted her $2.5 million bond bomb announced at the State of the County Address in January, Levine Cava retracted it. But she has said she would bring it back later. After the election, of course.
She must have known it would be a losing issue.
Read related: Hard reception for Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s $2.5 billion bomb bond
But its’s a little bit dishonest. Because the tax rate cut of 1% last year did not actually cut taxes for anyone, since property values rose at a higher rate. Everybody, or almost everybody, is paying higher taxes than before.
Oh, and that tax holiday that is highlighted in yellow? That only came after her office forgot to renew the 6-cent gas tax, which, by the way, also collects from tourists and Broward folks who work here (like some of the candidates for Miami-Dade sheriff). And she dares call it a holiday? That’s disingenuous.
“Hay que tener la cara dura para decir que rebajo los impuestos,” says a lady’s voice-over on a radio ad paid for by Cid. Translation: “You gotta have a hard face to say you lowered taxes.” Hard face means no shame.
A second mailer mentioned the supposed tax cut but also featured her programs to fight violent crime and protect Biscayne Bay, the 32,000 housing units that have come online under her watch and the Emergency Rental Assistance Program that has reportedly helped more than 25,000 residents.
Read related: Proposed Miami-Dade budget includes fake ‘tax break’ and real fee increases
Both disclaimers say they are paid by the Florida Democratic Party, which endorses (will pay for ads for) Levine Cava, former State Rep. and Miami Beach Commissioner David Richardson for Miami-Dade tax collector and Ashley Gantt for state rep. But those two might need the party’s help more than La Alcaldesa.
Levine Cava, who has raised more than $11 million between her campaign account and her PAC since 2019, had $2.1 million on hand as of June 14, according to the latest campaign reports.
But she’s the state’s Democratic darling, a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2026. So they’re going to go all out.
