Election 2024: The District 7 County Commission Race Features a Rematch of the 2020 Contest

Three candidates are competing to represent Coconut Grove and surrounding communities on the Miami-Dade County Commission. The election is August 20.

The 2024 election contest for the Miami-Dade County District 7 commission seat – the district that includes Coconut Grove – features a rematch between incumbent commissioner Raquel Regalado and former Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner.

Regalado, a former school board member, won her commission seat by the slimmest of margins in 2020, defeating Lerner by 1,301 votes, or 1.2% of the total ballots cast.

To date, Regalado has raised $318,267 in campaign contributions to defend her seat, including $9,000 in contributions from the principals associated with the proposed Bimini Block rental apartment project on Grand Avenue between Plaza and Hibiscus Streets.

By comparison, Lerner has raised $186,824, including $70,000 in loans she made to her own campaign. A third candidate, Miami-Dade Schools police officer Richard Praschnik, has raised $22,239, including $18,000 in loans he made to his campaign.

To review a list of each candidate’s campaign contributions, go to https://www.voterfocus.com/CampaignFinance/cand_srch.php?c=miamidade and enter the candidate’s name.

To view the candidates’ campaign finance reports, go to https://www.voterfocus.com/CampaignFinance/candidate_pr.php?c=miamidade and scroll down to the District 7 commission race.

Election day is Tuesday August 20. Early voting begins Monday August 5.

The Miami Foundation hosted an online candidate forum last week for the District 7 race. Regalado and Lerner participated. Praschnik was absent. Follow this link to view the one-hour forum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iuFNXF4OmM

Coming up: The Spotlight will publish interviews with Regalado and Lerner over the next two weeks. In the meantime, here are some resources to help you get ready for the August 20 election:

Here’s a schedule of early voting locations and hours (PDF).

Here’s a sample ballot for the August 20 election (PDF).

For more information about the August 20^th election, visit https://www.miamidade.gov/global/news-item.page?Mduid_news=news1703878517318755