After months of speculation, Joe Carollo formally enters Miami mayor’s race
Commissioner Joe Carollo has filed to run for Miami mayor, formally launching a campaign that could further extend the veteran politician’s decades-long reign in City Hall.
On Saturday afternoon, the termed-out commissioner submitted candidate paperwork and ended months of will-he-or-won’t-he speculation. Carollo did so as the 11th hour approached, with candidate qualifying ending at 6 p.m.
Carollo, 70, said he agonized over the decision to enter the crowded mayor’s race, calling it one of the most difficult he’s made in his life. On Friday, he said he was still undecided. But by 1:30 p.m. Saturday, dozens of people began packing into the City Commission chambers to show their support for Carollo’s campaign.
An hour later, Carollo and his wife, Marjorie, approached the city clerk’s window, where he submitted his qualifying documents. A crowd of dozens of supporters surrounded him and watched in near-silence before erupting into cheers and applause when Carollo had completed the paperwork.
“This will be the last time that I will run for office,” Carollo told the Miami Herald shortly after he qualified. “And I’m doing it for the city. Not for me.”
Former Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, who is also Carollo’s attorney, said he was there as a supporter, not as a lawyer.
“I think Joe’s the right man for the right time,” Sarnoff said, adding that he was confident Carollo would make it to a runoff.
“It’s all about turnout. ... And look at the room. He’s got a pretty good turnout already,” Sarnoff said.
Carollo became the 13th candidate to qualify for the 2025 non-partisan mayor’s race, joining other establishment politicians like Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins, former City Commissioner Ken Russell and former Mayor Xavier Suarez, as well as former City Manager Emilio González and former City Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla.
Carollo, however, said he wasn’t deterred by the competition and that he’s confident he’ll make it to a runoff.
Carollo previously served as mayor from 1996 to 1997 and again from 1998 to 2001. He was first elected to the Miami City Commission in 1979 at age 24.
A ‘90s flashback?
Carollo’s move tees up a rematch between himself and Suarez, who filed to run in July. The two rivals previously faced off in the 1997 mayoral race. Carollo, the incumbent, initially lost to Suarez, but the election was overturned because of ballot fraud. Carollo was installed as mayor in 1998, serving until 2001, when he lost his bid for reelection.
After that, Carollo stayed out of Miami politics for years, reemerging for a political comeback in 2017 when he was elected to be the District 3 commissioner. He took over the seat from his younger brother, Frank Carollo, who held it for eight years prior. Joe Carollo was reelected to another term in 2021 but is now termed out.
Carollo’s latest stint in office has brought about a maelstrom of litigation, including lawsuits filed by the Ball & Chain nightclub operators. In a 2023 trial, a jury awarded plaintiffs Bill Fuller and Martin Pinilla a $63.5 million judgment, finding that they were victims of a political retaliation campaign pushed by Carollo after they supported his opponent. In a related lawsuit, the city agreed last year to pay out a $12.5 million settlement.
Carollo’s political battles have extended from the courtroom to the City Commission chambers. Earlier this year, the commission voted to oust him as chairman of Bayfront Park Management Trust amid a federal lawsuit filed by two former employees who accused Carollo of using agency funds to benefit himself, his wife and friends. Carollo has adamantly denied the allegations.
The Bayfront Park agency was then taken over by Carollo’s rival, Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela. The pair have been at odds for nearly two years, almost getting into a brawl at a commission meeting last year before a sergeant-at-arms could separate them.
For the time being, Carollo’s other City Hall rivals include Commissioners Damian Pardo and Ralph Rosado, as well as the current mayor, Francis Suarez, whose father is running to succeed him.
This story was originally published September 20, 2025 at 3:02 PM.
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