Former Miami Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla files to run for mayor
Former Miami Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla, who was suspended from office while facing money laundering and bribery charges that were later dropped, has filed to run for mayor of Miami.
On Friday, the former state senator filed candidate paperwork for the Nov. 4 election. Díaz de la Portilla served as Miami’s District 1 commissioner from 2019 to 2023, when Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended him from office after Broward prosecutors charged him with money laundering and bribery. Last November, the Broward State Attorney’s Office dropped the charges a month before the case was set to go to trial.
Díaz de la Portilla has maintained that the charges were politically motivated. His arrest occurred in September 2023, less than two months before he was up for reelection as the District 1 commissioner. Díaz de la Portilla lost in a runoff to Miguel Angel Gabela, whose term lasts until 2027.
“Political rivals and the fake media weaponized the legal system and used lawfare to interfere with my reelection; but they failed to destroy me,” Díaz de la Portilla said in a statement Friday. “Now fully vindicated, I am back to serve the community I love and to make Miami Great Again. Get ready.”
He filed his candidate paperwork on the first day of candidate qualifying, which runs through Sept. 20.
This story was originally published September 5, 2025 at 5:29 PM.
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