City Hall aide Monica Matteo-Salinas just won a four-year term on the Miami Beach Commission, outpacing a better-funded but controversy-laden opponent in a runoff for the panel’s Group 1 seat.
With all precincts reporting, a full tally of early votes and a partial count of mail-in ballots, Matteo-Salinas had 71% of the vote to defeat Republican lawyer Monique Pardo Pope.
She’ll succeed fellow Democrat Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who must leave the city’s seven-member governing body after an unsuccessful mayoral run.
Matteo-Salinas said in a statement that she is “deeply grateful” Miami Beach voters trusted her to represent their interests on the City Commission.
I ran for this seat because I love our city — because my children, and every child in our community, deserve to grow up in a Miami Beach we can be proud of, and because our residents deserve a city government that truly works for them. I am inspired every day by the people who make Miami Beach so special: families, seniors, small business owners, first responders, and neighbors from every background who care deeply about our community,” she said.
“I promise to always listen, solve problems, and deliver on the issues that matter most. This victory belongs to everyone who believes in a Miami Beach that protects its neighborhoods, invests in its future, and reflects the values of the community we love. I am ready to get to work.”
Tuesday’s runoff sharpened into a choice between two contrasting résumés, platforms and campaign narratives, along with late-cycle revelations about Pardo Pope, one of which drew national headlines.
Matteo-Salinas, 46, consolidated establishment support for her campaign, which centered on promises to work on expanding trolley service, increase the city’s affordable housing index and establish a new “water czar” position in the city, paid by resort taxes.
She’s received endorsements from several local political notables, including Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami Beach Commissioners Alex Fernandez, Laura Dominguez and Tanya Bhatt, and former Miami Beach Dan Gelber.
Groups backing her bid include the Miami Beach Fraternal Order of Police, LGBTQ groups SAVE Action PAC and Equality Florida Action PAC, and the public safety-focused neighborhood group SOBESafe.
The Miami-Dade Democratic Party also celebrated Matteo-Salinas’ double-digit victory Tuesday, calling it “a monumental victory with profound implications for every community across Miami-Dade.”
(L-R) Monica Matteo-Salinas and Monique Pardo Pope. Images via the candidates.
Pardo Pope, 45, centered her messaging on public safety, investing in mental health, backing school choice initiatives, supporting homelessness services, encouraging “smart, thoughtful development” that preserves Miami Beach’s character while addressing flooding and roadway congestion, and alleviating cost-of-living issues for longtime residents and first-time homebuyers through “fair taxation.”
She touted her guardian ad litem work as evidence of her temperament and commitment to service, but that part of her record came under scrutiny in recent weeks. A review of Pardo Pope’s case records with the Miami-Dade Clerk’s Office showed her listed as a guardian ad litem in just three cases — one of which she was discharged from after trying to get the mother in the case jailed.
She was also the subject of negative attention for omitting that her father was the convicted, Nazi-adoring serial killer Manuel Pardo, to whom she wrote several loving social media posts.
Pardo Pope has said she forgave her dad to move forward with her life, asking voters to judge her on her own life and work.
She is also the target of a Florida Bar inquiry for falsely claiming that documentarian Billy Corben, who was the first to reveal her father’s identity, lost a defamation lawsuit.
Her backers included the Miami-Dade Republican Party, Miami-Dade Commissioner René García, Rep. Alex Rizo, former Miami Beach City Attorney Jose Smith, Miami Realtors PAC, Venezuelan American Republican Club and Teach Florida PAC, a Jewish education group.
Two of her former Group 1 opponents, Daniel Ciraldo and Omar Gimenez, also endorsed her.
Matteo-Salinas raised about $133,000 and spent $82,000 by Dec. 4. Pardo Pope raised about $190,000 — of which 29% was self-given — and spent close to $170,000.
Matteo-Salinas finished first in Miami Beach’s General Election last month with 23.2% of the vote. Pardo Pope advanced with 20.1% after narrowly avoiding a recount.
They outpaced four other candidates, but neither captured a large enough share of the vote — more than 50% — to win outright.
