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• Ties to incumbent may hurt Miami mayoral candidate Joe Sanchez

Tomás Regalado elected Miami's new mayor

Miami voters demanded a breather from eight years of fast-paced development Tuesday, ushering in Tomás Regalado as mayor on a wave of support from residents who said they were tired of uncontrolled growth and unchecked spending.

Regalado, 62, a constant basher of past administrations who first swept to a city commission seat 13 years ago, parlayed a national anti-incumbent fervor and a sour economy to become the city's 33rd mayor.

In the weeks preceding Tuesday's vote, Regalado attacked the billions of dollars being spent on big-ticket public works projects in the city, calling them an insult to a public facing high property taxes and rising unemployment. Many of those projects were backed by opponent Joe Sanchez and Mayor Manny Diaz.

Anti-incumbent feelings colors Miami mayoral race

Little more than two weeks before election day, with the men vying to become Miami's 33rd mayor working the campaign trail in a final bid for support, the contest is often turning to someone not on the ballot: outgoing Mayor Manny Diaz.

The Nov. 3 election comes at a time when many voters are turning against incumbents amid a still-dour economy that can make sitting politicos a ready target.

So Miami Commissioner Tomás Regalado, a long-time critic of the administration, loves to talk about Diaz as he seeks the city's top post. But Commission Chairman Joe Sanchez, a staunch Diaz ally for years, has worked to step from the mayor's shadow in his mayoral bid.

2 candidates, 2 visions for Miami's future

As Miami chooses its next mayor Tuesday, the differences in candidates could not be more stark. One has bucked nearly every major city initiative, the other pitches Miami's public works projects as progress.

And once the election results are tallied, the changes in how City Hall moves forward could be just as different.

Commissioner Tomás Regalado, the front-runner in campaign cash and in-house Miami naysayer, would likely shake up City Hall's top bureaucracy. The city manager and police chief are among those whose jobs would be in jeopardy under a Regalado administration.

Ties to incumbent may hurt Miami mayoral candidate Joe Sanchez

Along Southwest 26th Road in Miami's historic The Roads neighborhood, the challenge facing Joe Sanchez's bid for mayor of Miami becomes clear. This is Sanchez's home turf -- just before becoming a city commissioner, he was elected head of the area homeowners association.

But a few homes away from the two Sanchez for Mayor signs on this street stand two signs for his opponent, fellow City Commissioner Tomás Regalado.

``Considering that this is Joe's neighborhood, I'm a little surprised by how many Regalado signs I see,'' said longtime neighborhood activist Joe Wilkins.

Real estate industry gives Tomás Regalado's mayoral campaign a boost

Major financial support from the real estate industry has helped give Tomás Regalado a fundraising lead in his bid for Miami mayor, more than offsetting donations flowing to challenger Joe Sanchez from the Florida Marlins and others.

Those are among the early trends in the commission rivals' bid for Miami's top political post, a contest to be decided in November.

Through the end of June, Regalado, who has represented Flagami and West Little Havana since 1996, had collected $420,174. Sanchez, in office a decade overseeing most of Little Havana, The Roads and the Shenandoah neighborhoods, had collected $298,286.