Miami Beach Commission candidate Robert Novo ends campaign after residency challenge

Just a week after Miami Beach Commissioner Laura Dominguez accused him in court of being ineligible to challenge her because he doesn’t meet the city’s residency requirement, first-time candidate Robert Novo is out of the race.

A Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge ordered Novo removed from the ballot in the upcoming Miami Beach election after he chose not to fight Dominguez’s claim that he hasn’t lived in the city for the one year required of candidates seeking local office.

“Robert Novo III has testified in open court that he is a resident of the City of Miami Beach in accordance with the City of Miami Beach Charter but does NOT contest the allegations in the Complaint and Motion,” Judge Jason Dimitris wrote in his order.

As such, Dimitris continued, Novo “consents to the entry of judgment against him, and will withdraw as a candidate” for Dominguez’s Group 2 seat on the Miami Beach Commission.

Because ballots had not yet been printed, Dimitris directed Miami Beach Clerk Rafael Granado and Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia to exclude Novo’s name from the city’s November ballot.

That leaves just two candidates — Dominguez, a 54-year-old Democrat and digital marketing executive, and Fred Karlton, a 65-year-old real estate investor registered with the Independent Party of Florida — in the Miami Beach Commission’s Group 2 race.

Veronica Goddard, a spokesperson for Dominguez’s campaign, said Dimitris’ order Monday “reaffirmed the facts that Mr. Novo could not produce the documents to show Miami Beach residents he was in fact a resident and able to qualify for the ballot.”

“The integrity of our democracy is vital and today’s actions strengthen the trust placed by voters in our electoral process,” she said. “We look forward to growing Commissioner Laura Dominguez’s strong support from all parts of Miami Beach, in the final stretch of the campaign” ahead of Election Day on Nov. 4.

The Miami Beach Charter mandates that candidates must have lived in the city for at least a year before qualifying, the deadline for which was Friday, Sept. 5.

In his paperwork, Novo listed a two-bedroom property on Crespi Boulevard and provided documentation showing, among other things, a lease agreement between him and the property’s owner, Gustavo Jose Ramos.

But Dominguez’s lawsuit contended that Ramos still used the address on his voter registration and continues to claim a homestead exemption there. State law prohibits any portion of a homesteaded property that is rented out to be included in its exempted value.

The complaint — filed by Sept. 8 by former Rep. J.C. Planas, an ethics and election lawyer — asserted that Novo lived in Coral Gables and didn’t establish lawful residence in Miami Beach until well after the required date, if at all.

Novo, 33, is a former Chief of Staff to Miami Mayor Steven Meiner and ex-legislative aide to Republican Miami Beach Rep. Fabián Basabe. He resigned from the Mayor’s Office in late 2023 following his arrest after a dispute with an ex-girlfriend turned physical. All charges were later dropped, and Novo has expunged his record before filing to run in mid-July.

After Florida Politics contacted Novo last week about Dominguez’s lawsuit, Novo denied falsifying any records and maintained that he moved into the Miami Beach property — where he continues to live with his girlfriend, the daughter of Ramos — well before the statutory deadline.

He accused Dominguez’s camp of trying to “drain my time and resources,” chalking the lawsuit up to “dirty politics.”

He confirmed Monday afternoon that he was going to City Hall to withdraw from the race, but declined to immediately comment on the outcome of the case.

City records show he indeed dropped out Monday.

Miami Beach’s elections are nonpartisan.

Other races on the ballot include a two-way contest between Meiner and City Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonozalez for Mayor, a seven-way contest for Rosen Gonzalez’s Group 1 seat and a head-to-head matchup between Group 3 Commissioner Alex Fernandez and his lone challenger, Luidgi Mary.

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