Bovo leverages influence in Hialeah ahead of departure, gets retroactive pension benefits
Six weeks after the Miami Herald first reported Hialeah Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo’s decision to step down and join a prominent Washington, D.C., lobbying firm, Bovo has confirmed he’ll be leaving the post. The mayor’s resignation comes as Hialeah’s political landscape heats up, with elections scheduled in November for the mayoral seat and four council seats.
Bovo told Telemundo TV news on Monday that he’s stepping down, though he didn’t say when. His office say he will be leaving some time in late April.
READ MORE: Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo to step down, take job with lobbying firm in Washington
A week ago, during a discussion at the Miami-Dade County Commission chambers about naming the new county civil courthouse, Bovo told the Miami Herald, “My plan is to be the mayor of Hialeah until I’m no longer the mayor of Hialeah... My wife has a position in the [Trump] administration, and I want to support her the same way she has supported me all this time.”
Bovo’s wife, Viviana Bovo, has had a long career tied to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, starting as his legislative aide. She later became a consultant during Rubio’s tenure as Speaker of the Florida House and served as his senior adviser for Western Hemisphere Affairs when he became a U.S. senator. She is now working with Rubio at the State Department.
Sources close to the mayor told the Herald that Bovo has accepted an offer from The Southern Group, which includes a compensation package surpassing his current $150,000 mayoral salary and $40,000 expense account.
Bovo’s political journey began in 1998 when he was elected to the Hialeah City Council with the backing of the city’s Democratic mayor at the time, Raul Martinez. He later served as a state representative for District 110 from 2008-11 before joining the Miami-Dade County Commission in 2011, where he represented District 13 until running for county mayor in 2020, a race he lost to Daniella Levine Cava.
Bovo, 62, born in Queens, New York, is the son of Cuban immigrants Marilyn and Esteban Bovo Carás. His father was a member of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961.
Retroactive benefits previously prohibited for elected officials
Since the Herald first broke the news that Bovo was stepping down, Hialeah has faced uncertainty regarding its political future, leading to several changes within the mayor’s office and an amendment to the city charter restoring the disbursement of retirement benefits to individuals elected to city office or employed by the city—a benefit that currently only applies to Bovo himself. Bovo served 10 years as councilman in Hialeah.
On March 11, the Hialeah City Council voted unanimously, 6-0, to amend a decade-old rule that prohibited retired elected officials from receiving retirement benefits while in office. Under the previous rule, elected officials were ineligible to receive benefits while serving or working for the city. The newly approved amendment, retroactive to October 2021 — one month before Bovo was elected mayor — lifts the restriction. The mayor’s office included the proposed ordinance on the agenda, and all items on the council’s agenda require the mayor’s approval to be discussed during council meetings.
According to public records, Bovo was receiving an annual $13,094 retirement benefit from the city for his service as a council member until he was elected mayor. Following the city council’s recent amendment, Bovo is now set to receive over $50,000 from Hialeah taxpayers, even before he departs for his new position in a lobbying firm.
“The pension amendment is a total slap in the face to residents and further proof that Bovo and company are more concerned about extracting every possible cent from the tax payer than public service,” Bryan Calvo, a former council member and mayoral candidate told the Herald.
Movements around mayor’s office
Bovo has yet to leave office, but several moves have been made in anticipation of his resignation. Many employees are either shifting positions, receiving salary increases, or planning to leave.
Carlos San Jose, Bovo’s former deputy chief of staff and current director of External Governmental Affairs, is transitioning to a lobbying career. He currently earns in the city a salary of $138,758, which includes a $400 monthly car allowance.
Mark Gomez, Bovo’s executive assistant, has been appointed division director of Business Relations and Sponsorship, a role previously filled by a longtime city employee. Gomez’s salary as executive assistant was $84,032 as of December 2024 including a $400 monthly car allowance. The new position typically has a salary exceeding $120,000. However, it is unclear whether that will be his new salary, as the Hialeah City Clerk has not provided details regarding the official position description, salary range, or stipend information.
Ismare Monreal, the mayor’s chief of staff, has been promoted to chief operating officer, with a nearly $30,000 salary increase, from $150,696 to $180,000, according to public records, which also includes a $400 monthly car allowance. The new role, described by the city as “a key executive leader responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the City of Hialeah’s government,” closely mirrors the responsibilities of a city manager— a position Hialeah lacks due to its strong-mayor structure. Monreal downplayed the comparison, saying that she is merely formalizing the activities she has already been handling.
Who will succeed him?
When Bovo departs before the end of his term in November, Hialeah’s charter stipulates that City Council President Jacqueline Garcia-Roves will assume the role of interim mayor, making her the first female mayor in the city’s nearly 100-year history. She will serve for the remainder of Bovo’s term and will then return to her prior position unless she decides to run for the vacant mayoral seat.
When asked by the Herald about who would be the best candidate to succeed him, Mayor Bovo declined to answer. However, during an interview with Telemundo TV news he mentioned several members of the Hialeah City Council as potential candidates, including Garcia-Roves, Council Members Jesus Tundidor and Carl Zogby. Bovo said his preferred candidate would be Rene Garcia, the Miami-Dade County commissioner for District 13.
Several politicians in Hialeah are vying for the mayoral seat, which could significantly affect the city’s political landscape. If potential candidates decide to run, it could leave multiple positions filled with interim council members. The city already has two interim council members, after Angelica Pacheco was suspended due to an FBI indictment on healthcare fraud, and a seat was vacated by Calvo when he decided to run for county tax collector. Both positions are up for election.
Tundidor and Zogby have expressed interest in running for mayor. Tundidor was reelected to the council without opposition in 2023, and Zogby would seek reelection if not running for mayor. Garcia, the Miami-Dade commissioner, is also a potential candidate.
Currently, there are two official candidates for mayor: Calvo, 27, currently at attorney specializing in civil litigation, and Daniel Angel Cornejo, 24, who in his bio states that his experience includes serving as a poll inspector during the 2024 election.
Miami Herald staff writer Douglas Hanks contributed to this story.
This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 12:57 PM.
