As Monica Matteo-Salinas heads to a Dec. 9 runoff for the Miami Beach Commission’s Group 1 seat, she’s adding support from two of Florida’s most prominent LGBTQ advocacy organizations.
SAVE Action PAC and Equality Florida Action PAC are both getting behind Matteo-Salinas, a former Miami Beach Commission aide who is running to succeed ex-Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez.
Todd Delmay, the Executive Director of SAVE LGBT and a candidate for House District 101, said his group is “proud to endorse” Matteo-Salinas for office.
“Monica has dedicated years to helping Miami Beach residents solve real problems and strengthen their community,” he said in a statement.
“With hands-on experience in affordable housing, education, and local government, she brings the leadership, compassion, and common sense solutions needed to move Miami Beach forward.”
Joe Saunders, a former state lawmaker and Equality Florida’s Senior Political Director, said Matteo-Salinas “understands what it takes to govern with inclusion and accountability.”
“She served as a legislative aide with Commissioner Alex Fernandez, the only LGBTQ Commissioner serving Miami Beach, and with Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, both proven equality champions with perfect voting records on LGBTQ support,” he said in a statement.
The nods from SAVE and Equality Florida join others from union CWA Local 3178, abortion rights group Ruth’s List Florida, Fernandez, and Commissioners Tanya Bhatt and Laura Dominguez.
“I’m honored,” she said of the newest nods. “Miami Beach is a city built on diversity, compassion, and respect — values that these organizations have fought tirelessly to defend. I’m proud to stand with them as we work together to keep Miami Beach inclusive, safe, and welcoming for all.”
Matteo-Salinas is competing against lawyer Monique Pardo Pope for the Group 1 seat after neither secured a large enough share of the vote in the Nov. 4 General Election to win outright.
Matteo-Salinas is a Democrat, while Pardo Pope is a Republican. Miami Beach elections are nonpartisan, though party politics frequently play into races.
Commission members are elected at-large, meaning Group 1 does not represent a specific geographical district and all Miami Beach voters have a say in all races on the ballot.
