Voters re-elect Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez

Gimenez defeats Raquel Regalado

MIAMI – Raquel Regalado, a two-term school-board member, failed to defeat Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who has been in office since 2011.

The 62-year-old incumbent -- a former city manager of Miami, city fire chief and firefighter -- will continue to manage the county's $7 billion budget. 

Gimenez received 55 percent of the vote compared to Regalado's 44 percent in Tuesday's runoff election.

During her campaign, Regalado, 42, criticized nearly every aspect of Gimenez's five-year tenure. But none of her accusations stuck. 

Her last attack before Election Day was a lawsuit. Regalado, who used to practice law, alleged that Gimenez should have been tossed from the ballot over a technicality related to a qualifying check. The lawsuit was dismissed. 

With $1.6 million in television and radio ads, Regalado was also at a disadvantage on spending. Gimenez raised about $7 million. 

During the Aug. 30 mayoral primary, about 122,000 voted for Gimenez and close to 82,000 voted for Regalado, the daughter of Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado. 


About the Authors:

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.