Frank Lago, Gloria Romero Roses lead Primary fundraising for empty HD 113 seat

Republican Frank Lago and Democrat Gloria Romero Roses are leading in fundraising for their respective Primary races ahead of a to-be-called Special Election for House District 113.

Lago, a real estate broker, amassed more than $138,000 last quarter to outpace two others — Bruno Barreiro and Tony Diaz Jr. — seeking the GOP nomination.

Romero Roses, who owns and operates an assisted living facility, collected almost $66,000 to lead Democratic foe Justin Mendoza Routt.

Regardless of who wins, the HD 113 seat representing a central, coastal portion of Miami-Dade will remain vacant until after the Regular Session; Gov. Ron DeSantis still hasn’t called a Special Election, even though Republican Vicki Lopez vacated the seat nearly two months ago for a spot on the County Commission.

Republican Primary

Lago stacked more than $125,000 through his campaign account and $13,000 through his political committee, Friends of Frank Lago, between late November and Dec. 31. That includes a $25,000 self-loan that, if unspent, he can return to his bank account.

He also spent $2,200 on accounting, checks, legal services and donation-processing fees.

Lago received 119 outside donations — all but one, a $1,000 check from Alabama real estate developer Maxwell Davis, from Florida residents, businesses and political committees — averaging $1,161.

A sizable portion of his gains came from real estate interests.

He received $10,000 total from 10 companies owned by Bluenest Development, a Miami-based multifamily homebuilder whose expressed mission is “to bring quality and affordability to the South Florida market in the fastest time possible.”

Gas and business magnate Max Alvarez gave the same sum through his principal business, a personal check and several other companies he owns.

Lago accepted $5,000 apiece from Miami charter school company School Development HC Finance, five businesses under builder Prestige Companies’ banner and a quintet of car dealerships owned by billionaire Norman Braman.

His largest personal check, from South Miami insurance analyst Juan David Cordoba, was for $1,000.

Barreiro, who previously held the District 5 seat on the Miami-Dade Commission that Lopez took last year, collected close to $105,000 through his campaign account and political committee, Transparency in Government PC.

Of that, $100,000 was a self-loan. Another $2,000 came from a real estate company associated with Fatima Home Care, a Miami Beach-headquartered health service for homebound patients Barreiro leads as CEO.

He spent just $33, all of it on donation processing.

Barreiro received eight outside donations averaging $600.

He took $2,000 from donors associated with Miami-based Dr. Livia Delgado MD Pediatrics and $1,000 apiece from Tallahassee-based Capitol Solutions and Capital Alliance Group.

Diaz, a small-business owner and one of five applicants — including Barreiro — who sought the County Commission seat Lopez scored Nov. 18, raised more than $34,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025.

His haul included $26,500 from his bank account, which he didn’t denote as a loan. He also reported $350 worth of in-kind aid from Doral-based City Colors for postcards and signage.

All of Diaz’s 29 outside contributions came from Aventura, Coral Gables, Hollywood, Miami, Miami Springs and Sunny Isles Beach donors. His average donation was $268.

Diaz also spent a little over $2,100, leaving about $32,250 heading into 2026. His biggest expenditure, $1,500, went to Miami-based Pop Creative Group for website services and $600 to local news blog Political Cortadito for ads.

The remainder covered donation processing.

Democratic Primary

Romero Roses, who mounted an unsuccessful congressional campaign more than a decade ago, raised about $62,000 through her campaign account and $3,750 through her political committee, Move Miami Forward-Pal’ante Miami.

That included $32,500 in self-loans.

She also spent almost $6,000 on transaction and software fees, photography, shipping, compliance service and legal services.

Romero Roses received 141 outside donations averaging $483. Her biggest — for $3,500 — came from retired Coral Gables resident Barbara Garrett, who gave thousands last year at the federal level to Democratic candidates and progressive organizations.

Nearly all her gains came through personal checks. Notable donors included South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez, who gave $250; former Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner, who gave $450; former Miami Herald publisher and current Children’s Movement of Florida Chair David Lawrence, who gave $500; and 2024 Democratic nominee for HD 113 Jackie Gross-Kellogg, who gave $25.

Romero Roses also got $1,000 apiece from St. Petersburg-based Climate First Bank and Floridians for Better Government, a political committee linked to former state lawmaker and Miami Beach Commissioner David Richardson.

Mendoza Routt, who leads the Miami-Dade Young Democrats and the Historic Bayside Civic Association, accumulated $16,000 between his campaign account and political committee, Friends of JMR, including a $1,000 self-contribution not flagged as a loan.

He also spent $650 on fundraising fees.

Of 71 outside contributions, four came from people with the last name Routt. His average donation was $210.

Several notable locals chipped in. Lawyer David Geller, husband to former Miami-Dade School Board member and current House District 106 candidate Lucia Báez-Geller, gave $1,000. Miami-Dade School Board member Joe Geller — no relation to David and Lucia — gave $100.

Mendoza Routt also got $1,000 from former House District 112 candidate Kevin Tipton, $250 from former House District 112 candidate Adam Benna, $25 from House District 102 candidate Jayden D’Onofrio and $5,000 from former Miami Mayor candidate Max Martinez.

Kayla vanWieringen, who served as Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s 2024 Campaign Manager and previously worked as Vice President of Politics and Programs for Ruth’s List Florida, gave $150.

Dawson McNamara Bloom, a political operative who worked on former Sen. Annette Taddeo’s 2022 congressional campaign, kicked in $10.

Another $200 came from New Leadership for Florida, a PC run by Democratic consultant Christian Ulvert that supported Doral Vice Mayor Maureen Porras’ 2020 campaign for HD 105. Porras switched from Democrat to Republican a year ago, citing “socialist ideas” some Democrats have embraced and Donald Trump’s victory as factoring into her decision.

HD 113 spans all of Key Biscayne and parts of Coral Gables and Miami, including Virginia Key and PortMiami, one of the county’s two top economic engines alongside Miami International Airport.

The district has skewed redder in recent cycles and now contains slightly more registered Republicans than Democrats, though voters without party affiliation still outnumber both, according to L2 voter data.