Manager of Miami’s Sexy Fish restaurant is running to topple the Carollo dynasty
A political newcomer and general manager of an opulent Japanese-inspired, underwater-themed restaurant in Brickell is facing off against a veteran city commissioner in the race for Miami’s open District 3 seat.
If Rolando Escalona wins the Dec. 9 runoff election against Frank Carollo, he will break the Carollo family’s 16-year streak representing District 3, which includes Little Havana, East Shenandoah and The Roads. Frank Carollo held the seat from 2009 to 2017, after which his older brother, Joe Carollo, was elected, and then reelected, as the district’s commissioner. Joe Carollo, who is now termed out, will leave office in December.
Escalona said it’s high time for a change and that he’s the right man for the job.
“We’re not living in Cuba here, where we need to have the same names over and over and over,” Escalona told the Miami Herald in a recent interview. “Give the chance to somebody new.”
READ MORE: With one more win, Carollos could control same Miami commission seat for 20 years
In a text message, Frank Carollo called that argument “a guise to distract from the fact that my opponent brings no experience, unlike my documented record of being an independent voice, digging into the numbers to balance city budgets, and pressing for results, while listening and putting residents first.”
An Escalona win would deal another blow to the Carollo dynasty following Joe Carollo’s fourth-place finish in the crowded mayor’s race in early November. The commission race could be viewed in some ways as a referendum on his leadership, considering he’s occupied the District 3 seat since 2017.
The Carollo brothers, who are 15 years apart, did not campaign together and have maintained that they operate as individuals.
Rookie vs. veteran commissioner
With just over a month to campaign between the general election and the runoff, Escalona has had his work cut out for him as he competes against a Miami household name. Frank Carollo led the eight-candidate race in the Nov. 4 general election with nearly 38% of the vote — 20 points ahead of Escalona, who secured the second-place spot with just over 17%.
But Escalona, 34, said he’s up for the challenge. When he moved to Miami from Cuba 11 years ago, he didn’t speak any English. He began taking language classes at Miami Dade College and landed a job bussing tables at a Peruvian restaurant downtown. From there, he worked his way up in the restaurant scene, from food runner to waiter to floor manager, then assistant general manager, while also studying political science and international relations at Florida International University.
“Nothing has been given to me,” Escalona said. “Nothing.”
He’s now the general manager at Sexy Fish, a whimsical under-the-sea-themed club-restaurant in Brickell, where he manages a staff of about 150. Asked to describe his management style at the restaurant, he said: “Lead by example.”
Escalona is facing off against Frank Carollo, 55, a certified public accountant with two terms as a city commissioner under his belt. Carollo said in a text that his vision for District 3 involves a “Residents First mentality, where people’s voices are heard and their issues are being addressed by a Commissioner that has the proven knowledge and experience to deliver results and make a difference. This vision includes clean neighborhoods that are safe and walkable under tree canopies and without the fear of speeding vehicles through neighborhood streets.”
Escalona, on the other hand, has never run for office. But he said his lack of political experience might actually be an asset.
“We have some commissioners with experience,” Escalona said. “What did it get us to? Lawsuits?”
READ MORE: Miami commissioner calls for Joe Carollo to pay back millions in legal fees to city
Escalona is vying to replace Joe Carollo, who’s faced a flurry of litigation in recent years. In 2023, a jury awarded a $63 million judgment to the operators of the Ball & Chain nightclub in Little Havana, finding that they were victims of a political retaliation campaign pushed by Carollo after they supported his opponent in the 2017 election. Last year, the city settled a separate but related lawsuit for $12.5 million, and it has been in ongoing settlement discussions in a third related suit.
“So where did experience get us?” Escalona said. “Because nothing got fixed.”
He said that in Little Havana, for example, “buildings are falling apart.”
“You have houses that are falling apart, and these people cannot afford to change a window or the door,” Escalona said.
While it’s his first time running for office, Escalona has already experienced the trial-by-fire that is Miami politics. In October, another District 3 candidate, Denise Galvez Turros, sued Escalona and alleged that his residency was a “sham” in an attempt to knock him off the ballot. During a three-hour trial, Galvez Turros’s attorney scrutinized granular details, like Escalona’s Amazon purchase history, and analyzed time-stamped photos of an apartment building Escalona testified he’s been living in since last summer.
A Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge ultimately sided with Escalona, although she said there were notable discrepancies in some financial documents that could create “serious issues” going forward, albeit with no bearing on the residency question.
Escalona’s wife testified in the residency trial as well. She was pregnant at the time and, shortly after the general election, gave birth to the couple’s first children: a twin boy and girl.
If elected, Escalona said one of the first pieces of legislation he’ll push for is publishing all city employees’ salaries online, similar to how Miami-Dade County does it, so that the information is immediately available to the public. He also wants to improve trash pickup in the district, reduce property taxes for senior homeowners and fix the city’s permitting department.
Escalona said he plans to have an “open-door policy” in his office where residents can come to him directly to ask questions and relay concerns. If elected, he said he would step away from his manager job at Sexy Fish.
Escalona said he would give Joe Carollo an “F” grade as the District 3 commissioner. He pointed to arguments on the dais that Carollo has been involved in.
“You are an elected official representing a district in the city of Miami, one of the most powerful cities in America, and you are fighting with another commissioner?” Escalona said. “That’s a shame.”
“You know what you won’t see from me?” he added. “Retaliation. That’s never going to happen with me.”
With the runoff election quickly approaching, Escalona said he’ll continue knocking on doors — sometimes the same one twice — to connect with voters and remind people that they need to vote once more on Dec. 9.
The location for Escalona’s election night watch party? The Ball & Chain nightclub in Little Havana.
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