Political group forms to challenge reelection of Miami-Dade State Attorney Fernández Rundle

A newly formed political committee wants to oust longtime Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle.

Real Reform for Miami-Dade, officially formed this week, said Thursday it has already raised $50,000 to support a candidate against Fernández Rundle, saying her office is “largely stuck in the 1990s,” an era that has resulted in a “culture of mass incarceration” and “wide racial disparities in the administration of justice.”

The committee was formed by Democratic political consultant Benjamin Pollara. No candidate has officially announced to run against Fernández Rundle, who is a Democrat.

Buzz in political and legal circles is that Melba Pearson, a former Miami-Dade prosecutor and the former deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union, will announce a run against her former boss. Pearson, reached by the Miami Herald least week, said she will decide on a run next month.

“Real Reform for Miami-Dade will shine a light on the failures of Kathy Fernandez-Rundle’s nearly three decades in office and support reformers who seek meaningful change in the State Attorney’s office,” Pollara said in a statement.

Fernández Rundle was first appointed in 1993 to replace Janet Reno, who left for Washington, D.C., to become the U.S. attorney general under President Bill Clinton. Fernández Rundle has won four contested elections, the last in 2012, when she defeated defense lawyer Rod Vereen in the Democratic primary.

Pearson has already criticized Fernández Rundle over her office’s decision to not charge Hialeah Police Officer Jesus Menocal Jr., who is accused of sexual misconduct. The FBI, which was referred the case by Miami-Dade prosecutors, arrested Menocal last week on allegations of civil rights violations.

“This is a clear failure of the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office,” Pearson wrote last week in a text to the Miami Herald. “A change is desperately needed to ensure we finally have equal justice in Miami-Dade.”

The State Attorney’s office has defended its handling of the case, saying it referred the case to the feds because there wasn’t enough evidence “to ethically file state sexual assault charges.”

According to the state’s elections department, Fernández Rundle has raised nearly $200,000 in contributions.

Her campaign on Thursday said it is focused on “engaging with voters and discussing Kathy’s commitment to public safety, as well as her championing important criminal justice reforms.”

“This year alone, Kathy has been a leader in ensuring those who have been disenfranchised from voting have a clear path forward and are able to cast a vote in the critical 2020 election cycle,” according to her campaign’s statement.

This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 5:24 PM.