Miami mayor and Joe Carollo spent $1.6 million on Ralph Rosado’s election last month
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Commissioner Joe Carollo bet big on last month’s special election, spending a combined $1.6 million in support of Ralph Rosado, who beat Jose Regalado for the open District 4 commission seat.
Their investments paid off. Rosado beat Regalado 55% to 45% in an election where just 5,346 people — or 11% of the district’s registered voters — cast ballots.
Newly released campaign finance reports for the second quarter of 2025 show that Suarez and Carollo — two political powerhouses who’ve spent more than 35 collective years in Miami City Hall — spent heavily on the race between Rosado, an urban planner, and Regalado, a former assistant building director who bears the name of one of South Florida’s most prominent political families.
In a statement to the Miami Herald, Rosado noted that he was an “underdog” in the race against Regalado, adding that he is “deeply grateful to everyone who stepped up to offer support, advice, or simply returned a call.”
“That support allowed us to run a positive, forward-looking campaign,” Rosado said. “However, it is important for everyone to understand that I remain committed to voting based on what I believe is right and in the best interest of the residents of District 4 and the City of Miami. My priority has always been — and will continue to be — serving the people of our community.”
Mayor outspent Carollo
Suarez’s political committee spent more than double what Carollo’s spent, according to the reports. The mayor’s PAC, Miami for Everyone, reported $1.1 million in expenditures for the months of April, May and June.
The bulk of that money — $900,000 — was given directly to Rosado’s political committee, Citizens for Ethics in Government. Another $170,000 was spent on firms tied to Rosado’s campaign manager, Jesse Manzano-Plaza, for political consulting, phone banking, polling, data research and canvassing. Manzano-Plaza has also managed Suarez’s campaigns in the past.
“I’m proud to have supported Ralph Rosado in the City Commission District 4 race,” Suarez said in a statement to the Herald. “Ralph is a dedicated public servant I have known for many years, going back to when he ran for that same seat in 2017. Ralph represents the new kind of leadership our city needs — principled, independent, and focused on results. I look forward to working alongside him to move Miami forward.”
The mayor did not directly respond to a question asking why he decided to spend such a significant sum on the race, nor did he say whether he has any expectations of Rosado in light of his seven-figure spending.
Carollo’s political committee, Miami First, reported spending $547,000 in the second quarter. The majority of that money — over $420,000 — was spent on radio and television ads, according to the report, and another $86,000 was spent on mailers and printing alone.
In explaining why his PAC spent a half-million dollars, Carollo told the Herald that polling initially showed Rosado down by 25 percentage points.
Carollo said that factor, combined with the fact that the special election took place over a truncated six-week timeline, meant extraordinary efforts were needed “to win a campaign that no one else thought was winnable.”
Otherwise, Carollo said, “You couldn’t win in such a short time going after such a known name like the Regalados.”
Regalado spending
Meanwhile, the PAC supporting Regalado spent a fraction of what Carollo and Suarez invested into Rosado’s campaign.
The PAC tied to Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser Tomás Regalado, who is Jose Regalado’s father, reported spending $388,000 in the second quarter on canvassing, polling, social media, advertising and more.
The family of late Commissioner Manolo Reyes, whose death created the District 4 vacancy, threw their support behind Regalado in last month’s election. Reyes’ PAC, Transparency & Accountability for Miami, reported spending just over $61,000 during the months of May and June.
This story was originally published July 11, 2025 at 12:16 PM.
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