Gerardo Vildostegui, the only incumbent who ran to keep his seat on the Surfside Commission this past Tuesday, has officially won re-election following recounts triggered by a too-close vote margin on Election Day.
Vildostegui edged challenger Yonathan Berdugo by just six votes in an at-large contest for four Town Commission seats, where voters could pick up to four candidates among eight total whom they wanted to see elected.
He won by 0.1 percentage points — well within the 0.5-point threshold that triggers a machine recount and the 0.25 points that require a manual tally of ballots.
But he’ll return to Town Hall to an otherwise newly populated Commission; candidates Donna Dayana Benmergui, Dovid “David” Weingot and Andrea Travani all won seats after respectively taking 15.8%, 15.7% and 14.8% of the vote Tuesday.
They’ll replace outgoing Commissioners Ruben Coto, Nelly Velasquez and Tina Paul, Surfside’s Vice Mayor, who is competing in an April 7 runoff against former Mayor Shlomo Danzinger for the right to succeed Mayor Charles Burkett.
The Mayor also sits on the Commission.
Because she took the largest share of the vote, Benmergui will serve as Vice Mayor for the next two years.
Vildostegui received a 14.3% share of the vote.
A former law professor, Vildostegui won his Commission seat in 2024, finishing second in a crowded 10-candidate race. His campaign website says he helped advance projects like the Champlain Towers South memorial, 96th Street Park, stormwater improvements and ethics reforms, along with securing grants and various community initiatives.
He ran this year on a platform prioritizing infrastructure and climate resilience, preserving community character and strengthening transparency and public accountability in local government.
Others who ran for the Town Commission seats included Jocelyn Kinzer, Fred Landsman and William Blumenkranz, who took 11.6%, 7% and 6.6% of the vote, respectively.
Florida Politics contacted Vildostegui for comment and will update this report.
