Miami commission runoff: Gabela defeats Diaz de la Portilla, Pardo unseats Covo

Two incumbent Miami city commissioners were defeated in Tuesday's runoff election.

District 1

Voters elected businessman Miguel Angel Gabela as Miami City Commissioner for District 1, unseating incumbent Alex Diaz de La Portilla, who was recently suspended over felony charges.

Gabela had more than 54% of the vote, according to the early results of Tuesday’s runoff election.

"I had lost faith in humanity, and today, I regained it because I see citizens are concerned," Gabela said.

Gabela has served on the City of Miami Zoning Board. He has run for the commission seat before and lost to Diaz de la Portilla in 2019.

Just a day before the runoff, Diaz de la Portilla attempted to disqualify Gabela’s candidacy by filing a lawsuit accusing him of not living in District 1 for a full year before qualifying for the election. The Third District Court of Appeal has since ruled in favor of Gabela, upending the city’s interpretation of its charter by redefining how long someone has to live in a district before they can qualify to run for city commission.

Back in September, Diaz de la Portilla was arrested after being accused of accepting $245,000 in exchange for voting to approve construction of a sports facility. He has pleaded not guilty. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended him following the arrest.

The seat, which represents Flagami, Allapattah and parts of Little Havana, had been vacant pending the outcome of the election.

District 2

In District 2, political newcomer Damian Pardo defeated incumbent Sabina Covo in the runoff election Tuesday.

Pardo had more than 52% of the vote, according to the early results.

"I spent 35 years in public service, I founded two organizations, served on a bunch of boards — why is that important? Because it shows my motivation," Pardo said.

Pardo is an activist who served on the Miami Dade Equal Opportunity Board, the Board of Trustees of the Miami Foundation, the Celia Cruz Foundation, and currently serves on the Board of Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. He ran a grassroots campaign and promised to be anti-corruption and not take any special interest funding.

"If there’s a person in there who's committed to shedding light on what’s going on and actually talking about these things in a public forum inviting residents to come and speak up as well, that changes. That changes the dynamics," Pardo said.

District 2 covers the eastern part of Miami, including Virginia Key, Coconut Grove, Downtown and Brickell, and north into the Edgewater and Morningside neighborhoods.