20 cents may cost lawyer a run for judge

Twenty cents may have cost a Miami-Dade lawyer a chance to run for judge.

The campaign for attorney Daniel Espinosa, who was filing to run against incumbent Rosa Rodriguez, last week issued a check to the state for the candidate “qualifying fee.” The amount was for $5,843.

But the fee to Florida’s division of election was supposed to be for $5,843.20. The oversight got his name stripped from the candidates’ list after Friday’s noon qualifying deadline.

So for now, technically, Rodriguez has no opposition.

Espinosa, in a letter to the division of elections sent Friday, pleaded that his check be accepted — or he be allowed to pay the 20 cents extra. Espinosa said he and his wife — they have four children — contemplated the candidacy for over a year.

“This is my dream, and I respectfully ask that you allow me to go through with it,” Espinosa wrote. “Sorry for the inconvenience I have caused.”

Espinosa, a lawyer since 2010, heads a small “boutique” firm in Kendall that specializes in civil-rights law and property insurance cases, according to its website.

The gaffe was first reported by the blogger known as “The Captain,” who writes for Miami’s Justice Blog. Rodriguez, a circuit judge in the civil division, has been on the bench since 1998.

This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 7:29 AM with the headline "20 cents may cost lawyer a run for judge."