Miami-Dade commission candidate: I’m shut out of places that welcome the incumbent

In his bid to unseat Miami-Dade Commissioner Vicki Lopez, challenger Joe Sanchez was pleased when a newly redeveloped public housing complex in Little Havana agreed to let him hold a campaign meet-and-greet there earlier this month.

Then Sanchez, a former Miami city commissioner, got some bad news. While Lopez had been there a month earlier for a county ribbon-cutting ceremony for the complex, management at the county-funded building, the Related Group’s Brisas del Sol, was canceling his event.

“I regret to inform you that we are no longer able to proceed with the event scheduled for May 12th at Brisas Del Sol, and it has therefore been cancelled,” Andrew Ponce, assistant community manager at Brisas del Sol, wrote in a May 8 email to Sanchez’s campaign manager, Michelle Niemeyer. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.”

Sitting commissioners bring vast advantages to their elections: easy access to campaign donations from county vendors, developers and lobbyists; a district budget to fund outreach activities among the voters whose support they need; and the name recognition that comes with casting newsworthy votes on the dais and granting interviews on issues of the day.

In his uphill campaign against Lopez, Sanchez says he’s noticed Lopez benefitting from another incumbent advantage: open arms from places like Brisas del Sol that receive tax dollars. Meanwhile, as a candidate, he says he’s getting cold shoulders.

A month before Sanchez saw his Brisas del Sol invitation yanked, Lopez was welcomed there when county officials gathered for an official ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of Brisas del Sol, Related’s $53 million apartment complex with below-market rental rates that received $3.5 million in Miami-Dade funding.

“I’ve spoken to some of the residents, and they are so thrilled,” Lopez said during an interview with the County Commission’s media team, which produced a video she posted on social media. “Today they can celebrate as I’m celebrating for them.”

The team also interviewed resident Edquana Whatley, who said: “I want to thank the commissioner for bringing this here.”

In a statement to the Herald, Lopez noted she isn’t involved in the event-booking decisions cited by Sanchez. “Questions about political campaign policies are best directed to those entities,” she said. “As a commissioner, I attend a number of events as do all elected officials. But I cannot campaign, as I am there in my official capacity.”

In a response to questions from the Herald, a top Related Group executive said the Sanchez event was not canceled for political reasons.

“It was taken off the calendar after we became aware that it had been scheduled without full internal review,” wrote Albert Milo Jr., president of the company’s Related Urban division. He mentioned the possibility of a county policy governing political events at housing complexes. “We are seeking formal guidance to ensure full compliance before proceeding.” But the county’s Housing Department told the Herald no such policy exists.

“I’ve never dealt with this before,” said Sanchez, a retired Florida state trooper who served 11 years on the Miami City Commission and ran for sheriff in 2024. “Every candidate should have equal access to the voters.”

Miami Beach events policy favors incumbents

On May 15, Sanchez posted a video from outside a big Miami Beach event for the city’s older residents — the “Sock Hop Prom.” There, an apparent organizer read from a city policy that barred Sanchez from attending the event as a candidate. Lopez did attend, posting on social media footage of her mingling with the hundreds of attendees at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

“It is limited to Miami Beach residents who are 55 years of age or older, and employees, and elected officials attending in their official capacities to perform their official duties,” the woman said to Sanchez, who lives in Miami.

The instructions reflected a resolution adopted by the Miami Beach City Commission in March that established new rules for city events for senior citizens. The rules allow incumbent commissioners or the city mayor to attend those events but not anyone else who is a candidate — a category that would cover challengers who might be running against the incumbents who passed the policy.

The preamble to the policy noted that old rules used to allow candidates to attend Miami Beach’s senior events, but the new rules would only permit elected officials to attend as part of their official duties. The policy also directed city administrators to “encourage all attendees to refrain from campaigning for any political office or cause while attending the events.”

Lopez versus Sanchez for Miami-Dade’s District 5

A Republican former Florida House member, Lopez is running in her first election for the Miami-Dade commission. Fellow commissioners appointed her to the District 5 seat on Nov. 18 after its former occupant, Eileen Higgins, resigned from the commission to run for mayor of the city of Miami.

At the time, Sanchez, also a Republican, was lobbying for commissioners to instead hold a special election so that he could compete without having to face an incumbent. In batting down that suggestion, Commission Chair Anthony Rodriguez said it would be a mistake to assume that an appointed incumbent would have a lock on keeping the seat in the next election in August 2026.

“The person we appoint doesn’t necessarily win their reelection, if they decide to run,” he said before the narrow vote to appoint Lopez.

So far, campaign finance reports give Lopez the clear advantage over Sanchez. Since the day of her appointment, she has raised more than $300,000 for her campaign and political committee, compared to $52,000 raised by Sanchez.

The Related Group is a top donor to Lopez in that early stretch of reporting, which only includes donations received through March 31. The Miami-based developer gave $25,000 to Lopez’s political committee, Common Sense Government, and nothing to Sanchez.

Paperwork shared with the Herald showed the Sanchez campaign had filled out a Related Group form on April 29 to hold a 30-minute Mother’s Day event at Brisas del Sol in the middle of May.

A day later, Fernando Cabrera, Related’s director of strategic planning, emailed a building manager with the response: “Approved.” But that decision didn’t last, with Brisas del Sol writing Niemeyer, the Sanchez campaign manager, with the cancellation notice on May 8.

Asked why Lopez was allowed to visit Brisas del Sol while also running in a county commission election, Milo said she was not treated as a candidate but as an elected official.

“It is our longstanding and consistent practice to invite the sitting District Commissioner to major property-related events in their official capacity,” he said. “That event was not a political campaign, and no political advocacy occurred.”