Pardo at the Halfway Point

Miami District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo is getting mixed reviews from constituents in Coconut Grove and elsewhere as he passes the halfway point in his four-year term. He faces reelection in 2027. 

As Coconut Grove’s annual parade of political mockery rolled down Main Highway a few weeks ago, Miami District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo walked behind a black hearse, waving hello to the crowd and goodbye to Miami’s career politicians.

Pardo was celebrating a major victory during his first two years in office – the adoption of lifetime term limits for Miami city officials. Voters approved the measure by a lopsided margin in November, advancing a key component of Pardo’s political agenda.

And yet, halfway through his first term, Pardo has left some constituents scratching their heads, despite that achievement. He’s been stubborn in the face of civic opposition, they say, and often labels those with opposing beliefs as out of touch or ignorant. 

Some former supporters are concerned that Pardo, who catapulted into office in 2023 as a reform candidate – has become beholden to developers and entertains grudges against those who cross his path.

“He’s been a profound disappointment to those who supported him and helped get him elected,” said filmmaker and political activist Billy Corben, who publicly campaigned for Pardo before his election victory two years ago. “The guy has done a 180. I am rarely shocked, but regularly disappointed (by politicians), and this is definitely the latter.” 

For his part, Pardo, 62, gives himself a B+ for his work as a commissioner, pointing to accomplishments like the ouster of former City Attorney Victoria Mendez, the renewal of the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency, and the adoption of lifetime term limits.

In Coconut Grove, Pardo notched a victory early in his term when he pushed the city to build a deeper swimming pool at Elizabeth Virrick Park, something West Grove residents were demanding but that his predecessor Sabina Covo said couldn’t be done. 

Still, detractors remain.

“I don’t feel he understands the unique needs of the Grove,” said Coconut Grove resident Elissa Margulies. “I feel like he’s completely beholden to the developers.”

Elected to represent Coconut Grove, Brickell, downtown Miami and Edgewater by only about 250 votes, Pardo now seems to be bleeding support in his own neighborhood of Morningside and in the Grove, where voters helped push him over the top.

Pardo’s critics aren’t just angry about what many describe as his biggest misstep so far – his effort to change the city’s election calendar in a way that would have given him and other commissioners an extra year in office without voter approval. That move ended in a series of embarrassing court losses. 

Some consider his approach on other issues to be out of sync with the concerns of his constituents. 

Examples include his support for a resilience trust fund, which would allow developers to double the density of their projects, a 15-foot bay walk in Morningside Park that critics say will result in the loss of greenspace and trees, and a proposal to expand the number of hours for construction work in residential neighborhoods. 

On each of those issues, Pardo has met with opposition.

Constituents have also questioned his priorities.

In a letter to the Spotlight last fall, attorney and activist Danielle Villoch accused Pardo of ignoring Coconut Grove and said she was baffled he would ask Grove residents to join him in opposing giant digital billboards downtown, given his track record. 

“Commissioner Pardo or District 2 won’t have my support on this or anything else until the Grove gets some attention – and let’s hope there is a more viable candidate to represent District 2 come November 2027,” she wrote. 

Fernand Amandi, a prominent pollster and long-time political observer who supported Pardo during his 2023 election bid, also expressed concern about his record to date. 

“Damian Pardo was unquestionably elected as a reformer who promised to always put residents first. It remains to be seen if he’s following through,” Amandi said.

Reynold Martin, the chairman of GRACE (Grove Rights and Community Equity) in the West Grove, said he has “mixed feelings” about Pardo’s record to date. 

The commissioner has often stepped up to support community events, he said, but was missing in action when GRACE and others filed an unfair housing complaint against the city with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Martin says the city stonewalled the complaint, and he thinks Pardo could have done more.

“We got no response from the city,” Martin said. But, he added, “I’m still hoping for good things. There is still time for him to make an impact in our community.”

In an interview with the Spotlight earlier this month, Pardo defended his record, saying it would be impossible to please everyone. 

“I think when you’re doing things in general there are going to be people who agree or don’t agree with you. We’ve gotten lots of feedback that what we’re doing is right, even great,” he said. “The important thing to know is that we’re very committed to reform.”

Pardo’s commitment to reform led to his biggest defeat to date – his push to move the city’s 2025 election for a new mayor and two commissioners to 2026, to coincide with state and federal elections, when voter turnout is higher. 

The move was roundly condemned, and ultimately blocked by a judge who said the city’s election calendar couldn’t be changed without the approval of voters.

On that and other issues, critics say Pardo is out-of-step with voters. 

Part of the problem, detractors say, is the way in which Pardo interacts – or doesn’t – with residents, especially when he is questioned or criticized.

“He is very thin-skinned,” Margulies said. “Instead of listening and responding to resident’s concerns, he becomes very defensive.” 

Margulies and others point to the online briefings that Pardo hosts before commission meetings as an example of that. When the briefings first started, participants could see each other, ask questions, and interact with the commissioner, Margulies recalled.

She thought the move was genius.  

But after Pardo experienced pushback on those calls, the interactive features were dialed back. People can still ask questions via a chat box, but Margulies says those questions may or may not be answered.

“It was so brilliant, and now it’s ridiculous,” she said.

Another Coconut Grove resident – Henrietta Schwarz – credits Pardo for showing up at a meeting of the South Bayshore Drive Condo Alliance, but then describes that meeting as a missed opportunity when Pardo spoke at – but not with – residents.

“It was supposed to be a conversation, and it became a monologue,” she said. 

When asked what Pardo has done right, both Margulies and Schwarz credited the commissioner for the constituent service his office provides, and they praised his decision to hire Javier Gonzalez as his District 2 liaison for Coconut Grove.

“He does have a very accessible office,” Schwarz said.

“He (Gonzalez) is pretty much available around the clock,” Margulies added. 

Margulies also praised Pardo for his demeanor during commission meetings.

Unlike his colleagues, Pardo pays attention when the public speaks at City Commission meetings – or at least appears to, Margulies said. 

“I know he’s making a grocery list in his head, but at least he has his eyes up,” she said. “His mother raised him right.”

Pardo says that’s intentional.

“What we promised from the beginning is that we’d work really hard and listen and do what is in the best interest of the community,” he said. “If there is an issue of something someone would like to see, our office is always open.”