Miami’s special election: Polls close at 7 p.m.
By Joshua Ceballos
May 28, 2025 at 1:01 PM EDT
Polls close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the special election to replace a recently deceased Miami city commissioner.
Residents in the city’s District 4 — which includes parts of Flagami, Shenandoah and Little Havana — will vote in a new commissioner after the passing of Manolo Reyes. Reyes died on April 11 after a battle with Leukemia. He was 80 years old.
READ MORE: Manolo Reyes, Miami City Commissioner, passes away at age 80
Early voting ended on June 1. On Election Day, Tuesday, June 3, voters in District 4 should report to their assigned precinct on their voter registration card.
The two candidates running in next week’s election are Jose Francisco Regalado and Ralph (Rafael) Rosado.
Regalado is the brother of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado and former Miami City Mayor — and current Miami-Dade Property Appraiser — Tomás Regalado. He’s worked in the city administration for seven years, and has held the position of assistant director of Miami’s Building Department since 2021.
Regalado raised nearly $119,000 in campaign contributions from April 1 to May 16, according to the most recent campaign finance disclosures.
He’s received donations from several established players in Miami-Dade County politics, including lobbyist and Miami-Dade Homeless Trust Chairman Ron Book, former Republican State Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla and former Miami City Attorney Victoria Méndez.
Rosado works as an urban planner at his own firm and previously served as the manager of North Bay Village.
Rosado is personal friends with former City Attorney Méndez and her husband, Carlos Morales. He was the founding president of their nonprofit, the Abuelos Foundation, in 2016. The nonprofit helps distribute meals to the elderly.
As part of the investigative series “Unguarded,” WLRN found that members of the Abuelos Foundation board including Morales were part of a tight-knit network of real estate players who bought the homes of incapacitated Miami-Dade residents for low prices and resold them for major profits.
Rosado resigned from the Abuelos board in 2021, and was not involved in the real estate transactions WLRN reported on.
Campaign finance records show Rosado raised nearly $59,000 as of May 16.
Rosado has the support of Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo and his political committee, Miami First, which has paid for multiple anti-Regalado campaign ads according to the Miami Herald.
The Miami Herald also reports that Regalado has the support of the late Commissioner Reyes’ family, including his widow.
More information on the special election can be found on the Miami City Clerk’s website.
Residents in the city’s District 4 — which includes parts of Flagami, Shenandoah and Little Havana — will vote in a new commissioner after the passing of Manolo Reyes. Reyes died on April 11 after a battle with Leukemia. He was 80 years old.
READ MORE: Manolo Reyes, Miami City Commissioner, passes away at age 80
Early voting ended on June 1. On Election Day, Tuesday, June 3, voters in District 4 should report to their assigned precinct on their voter registration card.
The two candidates running in next week’s election are Jose Francisco Regalado and Ralph (Rafael) Rosado.
Regalado is the brother of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado and former Miami City Mayor — and current Miami-Dade Property Appraiser — Tomás Regalado. He’s worked in the city administration for seven years, and has held the position of assistant director of Miami’s Building Department since 2021.
Regalado raised nearly $119,000 in campaign contributions from April 1 to May 16, according to the most recent campaign finance disclosures.
He’s received donations from several established players in Miami-Dade County politics, including lobbyist and Miami-Dade Homeless Trust Chairman Ron Book, former Republican State Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla and former Miami City Attorney Victoria Méndez.
Rosado works as an urban planner at his own firm and previously served as the manager of North Bay Village.
Rosado is personal friends with former City Attorney Méndez and her husband, Carlos Morales. He was the founding president of their nonprofit, the Abuelos Foundation, in 2016. The nonprofit helps distribute meals to the elderly.
As part of the investigative series “Unguarded,” WLRN found that members of the Abuelos Foundation board including Morales were part of a tight-knit network of real estate players who bought the homes of incapacitated Miami-Dade residents for low prices and resold them for major profits.
Rosado resigned from the Abuelos board in 2021, and was not involved in the real estate transactions WLRN reported on.
Campaign finance records show Rosado raised nearly $59,000 as of May 16.
Rosado has the support of Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo and his political committee, Miami First, which has paid for multiple anti-Regalado campaign ads according to the Miami Herald.
The Miami Herald also reports that Regalado has the support of the late Commissioner Reyes’ family, including his widow.
More information on the special election can be found on the Miami City Clerk’s website.