A political consultant once fired by Carlos Gimenez has a new client: Carlos Gimenez

Eight years ago, Al Lorenzo’s political consulting career was upended by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

Lorenzo, a veteran political consultant who earned millions from high-profile clients ranging from Barack Obama to Marco Rubio, was fired by Gimenez’s mayoral campaign in 2012 after he failed to disclose that one of his subcontractors had a lengthy criminal record, including a two-year stint in prison for forging postage stamps. Lorenzo’s firing also coincided with an absentee ballot investigation in Hialeah, though Lorenzo denied any connection to the probe.

“Since day one, our campaign has held itself to a higher standard,” Gimenez’s 2012 campaign said in a statement. “Consistent with these standards, we have decided to sever ties with Quantum Results effective immediately.” Gimenez added it was troubling that the charges against Lorenzo’s subcontractor appeared to be “campaign related.”

“That’s serious,” Gimenez said.

But Quantum Results has resurfaced in recent months in Miami’s two high-profile congressional races.

Gimenez, the man who once fired Lorenzo, is now paying him.

Federal campaign finance records show that Gimenez’s Republican congressional campaign paid Lorenzo’s consulting firm, Quantum Results, $12,000 in July for fundraising help.

Gimenez is running against incumbent Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell for her congressional seat in Florida’s 26th District. The district, which includes Miami’s western and southern suburbs along with the Florida Keys, is considered a toss-up.

“Despite millions in attack ads from Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s far-left allies, Mayor Gimenez has led in every public poll because of the great work he’s done as Mayor and because of the campaign team he’s built,” Gimenez campaign manager Nicole Rapanos said in an email. “As part of that team, Al Lorenzo’s strategic guidance and deep knowledge of our community has helped put us in a position to win in November.”

Lorenzo hasn’t worked for any federal candidates since 2011 until this year, when campaign finance reports showed that he began working with Gimenez in July and Republican congressional candidate Maria Elvira Salazar in March.

Salazar’s campaign paid Lorenzo’s firm $50,191 for consulting and media buys between March and July, records show. Salazar is running against incumbent Democratic Rep. Donna Shalala in Florida’s 27th Congressional District, which includes most of coastal Miami-Dade County. The race is competitive, though Shalala is considered the favorite.

“I know that he’s one of the vendors for some of the issues, for some of the things we need on the ground game,” Salazar said.

In a statement, Salazar’s campaign said Lorenzo is a valuable asset.

“Al Lorenzo knows our community and works with public officials across South Florida,” Salazar spokesperson Andre Rodriguez said. “Donna Shalala broke the law ... and Al is helping make sure voters in FL27 are not fooled.”

It’s possible that both Gimenez and Salazar will have additional payments to Lorenzo as the campaign enters its final month and spending ramps up. Current fundraising reports only include expenses incurred through July 29. Lorenzo did not respond to a request for comment.

Lorenzo’s reentry into federal politics is a familiar theme in Miami, where candidates and consultants from both parties with ethical baggage resurface years later.

Former Rep. David Rivera was recently elected to the Miami Republican Party’s executive committee despite a federal investigation into his $50 million lobbying contract with Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA. Democratic consultant Jeffrey Garcia, who served prison time for illegally requesting hundreds of absentee ballots in 2012 and admitted to creating a fake Tea Party candidate to drain votes from his boss’s GOP challenger, resurfaced as a consultant for state Rep. Javier Fernandez during his 2018 campaign. Fernandez is now running for the Florida Senate.

Garcia is also working for Shalala this campaign cycle as an advisor and worked on mailers for her congressional office.

“The congresswoman values his input, he knows his stuff and she believes in giving folks second chances,” Shalala campaign manager Raul Martinez said.

Gimenez, Mucarsel-Powell debate in the Keys

Mucarsel-Powell and Gimenez met Monday night at a political forum in Key West hosted by the nonpartisan group, Hometown Key West.

Each repeated allegations about each other’s relatives — Gimenez talking about Mucarsel-Powell’s husband working as an attorney for companies tied to a controversial Ukrainian oligarch, and Mucarsel-Powell’s calling Gimenez and his family “corrupt” for his sons’ lobbying work. Both candidates have run TV ads on the ethical issues of their opponent’s family members.

“I haven’t been found guilty of anything,” Gimenez said. “Every single time, my name has been cleared. She better look in her own household.”

The back-and-forth between the candidates largely mirrored ongoing attacks in the race, with Mucarsel-Powell highlighting Gimenez’s support of the Trump administration’s court challenge to overturn the Affordable Care Act and Gimenez arguing that Mucarsel-Powell’s voting record is too liberal for the district.

The Florida Keys holds about 10% of the district’s population, though it could be an important factor in the race between Gimenez and Mucarsel-Powell after President Donald Trump in 2016 became the first Republican to win Monroe County since George H.W. Bush in 1988.

Last night’s debate was the only one currently scheduled in the race, though it’s possible that Mucarsel-Powell and Gimenez will debate again in English or Spanish.

Miami Herald reporter Gwen Filosa contributed to this report.

This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 4:24 PM.