Miami Beach voters have re-elected Mayor Steven Meiner and city commissioner Laura Dominguez for second terms, according to election results. Meiner secured 51 percent of the vote, defeating his only opponent, city commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, by about 350 votes. Dominguez won over 60 percent against Fred Karlton, a developer who ran an unsuccessful campaign with commissioner David Suarez criticizing her ties to real estate interests. Commissioner Alex Fernandez also retained his seat with 84 percent of the vote.
A runoff is scheduled for next month to fill the commission seat vacated by Rosen Gonzalez. Monica Matteo-Salinas, a former aide on the commission, led with 23 percent of the vote. Attorney Monique Pardo Pope finished second with 20 percent, just ahead of hotel investor Brian Ehrlich by less than one percentage point. If this margin falls below half a percentage point, it will prompt an automatic recount.
Financial support from real estate and hospitality sectors played a notable role in these races. Mayor Meiner received significant backing from industry figures such as Lennar co-CEO Stuart Miller, who contributed $50,000 to Meiner’s political action committee (PAC), Miami Beach First. Other major donations included $25,000 from Michael Simkins; $20,000 from Groot Hospitality founder David Grutman; $18,000 from investor Alex Kleyner; and $10,000 each from developer Scott Robins and New York-based Naftali Group.
Dominguez also benefited from contributions within the real estate and hospitality industries. She received individual maximum donations of $1,000 each from developer Michael Shvo; Jose and Diego Ardid of Key International; James LeFrak and an affiliate at LeFrak Organization; and two executives at OKO Group. Her opponent Karlton funded his own campaign with a personal contribution of $150,000.
During the campaign period, Karlton and commissioner Suarez accused Dominguez of voting for legislation that favored developers supporting her PAC during her initial run in a 2022 special election. However, Dominguez did not raise funds through her committee in this year’s race.
In the ongoing contest for the open commission seat heading into a runoff, Brian Ehrlich emerged as the preferred candidate among real estate and hospitality backers. His campaign accepted maximum individual contributions from Arnaud Karsenti of 13th Floor Investments and his wife Rebecca Karsenti; as well as entities connected to Jimmy Resnick and Catalina Hotel at Collins Avenue. Ehrlich’s PAC also drew substantial support: “Miami Beach in Focus” received $25,000 from hotelier Shawn Vardi and $5,000 from Christopher Cuomo.
