MIAMI -- Together again for the first -- and perhaps last -- time, all six candidates for three South Florida seats in the U.S. House of Representatives gathered on Wednesday.

The candidates came together at Jungle Island in Miami for a political forum sponsored by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.

There were no surprises because the candidates got to see all the questions ahead of time. Still, there were some lively exchanges and a few spontaneous moments.

"You’ve seen his ads," said Raul Martinez, a Democrat running in the 25th Congressional District. "He’s the one who’s lying in his ads, lying about my record."

Martinez was referring to ads being aired by his Republican opponent, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, that call into question Martinez’s honesty and integrity. Martinez, the former eight-term mayor of Hialeah, was charged with bribery and extortion in the early 1990s. Three trials ended in mistrials and hung juries.

"Who has demonstrated integrity?" Diaz-Balart said. "Who has shown that he wants to serve the public rather than serve for personal gain?"

Of the three congressional races, the toughest perhaps is in the 18th Congressional District, which runs from Miami Beach through Southwest Miami-Dade and down through the Florida Keys. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has represented the district since 1989 and holds a commanding lead in the polls. But Democrat Annette Taddeo, who has never held public office, pushed Ros-Lehtinen hard Wednesday, accusing her of being a "rubber stamp" for President George W. Bush and voting against regulation that might have prevented the current financial meltdown.

Ros-Lehtinen pointed out that she voted initially against the Wall Street rescue plan, but after it was improved by the Senate, changed her mind and voted for it.

"Thanks to those of us who voted for the second version," said Ros-Lehtinen, "we’ve come up with a much better plan to protect the middle class.”

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, the Republican incumbent in the 25th Congressional District, explained that he voted against the bailout bill because, "it amounts to a blank check from taxpayers to Wall Street."

Opponent Joe Garcia of Miami Beach retorted, "The nature of my opponent’s ignorance about the American banking system is frightening."