Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner and city commissioner Laura Dominguez have both secured reelection, according to results from the latest municipal vote. Meiner won 51 percent of the ballots, defeating his only challenger, city commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, by about 350 votes. Dominguez achieved a decisive victory over spec home developer Fred Karlton, earning more than 60 percent of the vote.
City commissioner Alex Fernandez also retained his seat with a significant lead, capturing 84 percent of the vote against Luidgi Mary.
The contest for the commission seat vacated by Rosen Gonzalez remains unresolved. Former city commission aide Monica Matteo-Salinas led with 23 percent of the vote and will face attorney Monique Pardo Pope in a runoff next month. Pardo Pope finished second with 20 percent, narrowly ahead of hotel investor Brian Ehrlich by less than one percentage point. If that margin falls below half a percentage point, an automatic recount will be triggered.
Mayor Meiner received substantial financial backing from Miami Beach’s real estate and hospitality sectors. Supporters included Lennar co-CEO Stuart Miller, who contributed $50,000 to Meiner’s political action committee (PAC), Miami Beach First. Other notable donors were Michael Simkins ($25,000), David Grutman ($20,000), Alex Kleyner ($18,000), Scott Robins ($10,000), and New York-based Naftali Group led by Miki Naftali ($10,000).
In her race against Karlton—who self-funded his campaign with $150,000—Dominguez also drew support from industry figures. Her campaign received maximum individual donations from developer Michael Shvo; Jose and Diego Ardid of Key International; James LeFrak and an affiliate from LeFrak Organization; as well as two executives from Vlad Doronin’s OKO Group.
During the campaign period, Karlton and commissioner David Suarez accused Dominguez of voting on legislation that benefited developers who had previously supported her PAC during her initial run in a 2022 special election. However, Dominguez did not use her committee to raise funds for this year’s campaign.
In the upcoming runoff for city commission, Brian Ehrlich was backed by real estate and hospitality interests as well. His campaign received maximum contributions from Arnaud Karsenti of 13th Floor Investments and his wife Rebecca Karsenti; Catalina Hotel at 1732 Collins Avenue; and two entities managed by Jimmy Resnick. Ehrlich’s PAC “Miami Beach in Focus” obtained $25,000 from hotelier Shawn Vardi and $5,000 from Christopher Cuomo.
