Bruno Barreiro will challenge Joe Carollo for Miami city commission seat
It’s Barreiro versus Carollo again in this year’s Miami city election.
Former Miami-Dade commissioner Bruno Barreiro filed paperwork Friday to run against incumbent District 3 Commissioner Joe Carollo, pitting two longtime politicians against each other in a bid to represent Little Havana, The Roads, Shenandoah and a sliver of Brickell.
Barreiro has campaigned against Carollo before — when his wife, Zoraida Barreiro, ran to represent District 3 in 2017. She failed to make the runoff, and Carollo won the election to seal a surprising comeback 15 years after leaving public office as the then-mayor of Miami.
Carollo is now seeking a second and final four-year term as the district commissioner. The election is Nov. 2.
“I think District 3 needs a lot of help,” Barreiro said Friday. “From helping small businesses get back on their feet, to building affordable housing.”
Asked about Carollo’s tenure, Barreiro said: “If there was pudding, there would be proof. But there isn’t even pudding.” The former county commissioner and state representative said he could promote city cooperation at all levels of government. “You have to be able to work across the aisle and across jurisdictions,” he said.
Barreiro, 55, spent 20 years on the county commission before resigning in 2018 to run for Congress after U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen announced her retirement. He lost in the Republican primary that year. In 2020, he lost a bid for Florida House District 112 to Rep. Nick Duran. Barreiro had previously served as a state representative from 1992 to 1998.
Carollo has already raised $374,000 in direct campaign contributions. Rodney Quinn Smith, another challenger, has also opened a campaign account.
Miami Herald staff writer Douglas Hanks contributed to this report.
This story was originally published June 4, 2021 at 4:33 PM.
