Alex Rizo, Buzzy Sklar endorse Fabián Basabe for re-election in HD 106

Two more elected GOP officials — Hialeah state Rep. Alex Rizo and Bal Harbour Village Council member Buzzy Sklar — are backing Miami Beach Republican state Rep. Fabián Basabe’s re-election campaign in House District 106.

Rizo, an education consultant and the immediate past Chair of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County, said he’s “proud to endorse” Basabe, whom he described as a “friend and colleague.”

He cited Basabe’s work on education, parental rights and child protection, and what he described as Basabe’s willingness to challenge authority for causes he believes in.

“I have seen Fabián in the fight against the establishment,” Rizo said in a statement. “He does not back down when it comes to doing what is right for our students and our communities. District 106 and all of Florida are stronger because of his leadership, and I am proud to stand with him.”

Sklar, the CEO of a hospitality consultancy and sake business, said he and Basabe were at odds at first on several issues, but the lawmaker’s openness to discussion won him over.

“Initially, I did not support Fabián. We actually butted heads on many things. Through dialogue and conversation, we were able to come together,” Sklar said in a statement.

“We do not agree on everything but I appreciate he takes the time to listen to opposing views. Sometimes it’s better to agree to disagree, but move forward for the common good of our constituents and work on the things that we do agree on together and make those things happen.”

Rizo and Sklar join two other Republicans, Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez and Aventura City Commissioner Gustavo Blachman, in backing Basabe. Democratic state Rep. Jose Alvarez of Kissimmee has endorsed Basabe as well.

In a pair of statements Wednesday, Basabe thanked both Rizo and Sklar for their support.

Of the Rizo endorsement, he said, “Education is everything. I value our public schools, our teachers, and the amazing programs we have in Florida. We have made progress, but we want to move faster so our teachers are paid the best and our students get the best. Together, with our colleagues, we are making sure every dollar gets to where it is intended and that everyone trusted with our children’s future is held to the highest standard.”

He called Sklar’s endorsement “one of my favorite kinds of support.”

“Commissioner Buzzy Sklar and I had a few issues where we disagreed, but most of it came down to misunderstanding. And misunderstandings can easily become divisive if people don’t take the time to sit down and talk,” he said.

“I picked up the phone, he answered, and we met for lunch. We had a long, honest conversation and realized how much we actually had in common. We came out of it stronger, not weaker, because we cleared the air. It’s a reminder that dialogue and persistence matter. When leaders are willing to listen, respect each other, and work through differences, our whole community benefits.”

Elected by a razor-thin margin in 2022 to represent House District 106, a coastal district in northeast Miami-Dade County, Basabe won re-election in November with 51% of the vote in one of the cycle’s most-watched state races.

After a lackluster 2024 Session in which he passed no legislation amid ample personal controversy — including an ongoing libel/slander lawsuit brought by two former staffers who previously accused him of sexual harassment and battery — had a much more successful round of lawmaking this year, passing five bills, including measures to safeguard historic structures and crack down on irresponsible owners of derelict vessels, while securing millions of dollars in state funding for projects in and outside of his district.

Basabe, who is representing himself against the lawsuit, was cleared by two House probes into those staffers’ complaints. Investigators found “no evidence” and “inconclusive” evidence of wrongdoing by him. He’s long maintained his innocence.

This cycle, he faces a challenge  from former Miami-Dade School Board member Lucia Báez-Geller, a Democrat who last year unsuccessfully ran against Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar.

HD 106 covers a coastal strip of Miami-Dade between Miami Beach and Aventura.