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Alex Díaz de la Portilla
Alex Díaz de la Portilla is running for election for Mayor of Miami in Florida. Díaz de la Portilla is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.[source]
Díaz de la Portilla was a member of the Miami Board of Commissioners in Florida, representing District 1. Díaz de la Portilla assumed office on November 27, 2019. Díaz de la Portilla left office on September 15, 2023.
Biography
Díaz de le Portilla's professional experience includes volunteering for the Reagan-Bush Campaign in 1980 and working as Assistant to the State Director for the Reagan-Bush Youth Campaign in 1984, Political Consultant for Diaz de la Portilla Incorporated, as Vice President of De Mattress Incorporated and Political Consultant for Winning Strategies Incorporated.
Committee assignments
- Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee, Florida State Senate
- Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities Committee, Florida State Senate
- Ethics and Elections Committee, Florida State Senate
- Regulated Industries Committee, Florida State Senate
- Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committee, Florida State Senate
Elections
2025
See also: Mayoral election in Miami, Florida (2025)
General election
The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.
General election for Mayor of Miami
The following candidates are running in the general election for Mayor of Miami on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Laura Anderson (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Elijah Bowdre (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Joe Carollo (Nonpartisan) | |
| Christian Cevallos (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Alyssa Crocker (Nonpartisan)  | |
| Kenneth DeSantis (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Alex Díaz de la Portilla (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Emilio Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Michael Hepburn (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Eileen Higgins (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Ken Russell (Nonpartisan) | |
| June Savage (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Xavier Suarez (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ijamyn Gray (Nonpartisan)
- Max Martinez (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
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2023
See also: City elections in Miami, Florida (2023)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Miami Board of Commissioners District 1
Miguel Angel Gabela defeated Alex Díaz de la Portilla in the general runoff election for Miami Board of Commissioners District 1 on November 21, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Miguel Angel Gabela (Nonpartisan) | 54.3 | 1,751 |
| Alex Díaz de la Portilla (Nonpartisan) | 45.7 | 1,474 | |
| Total votes: 3,225 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Miami Board of Commissioners District 1
Alex Díaz de la Portilla and Miguel Angel Gabela advanced to a runoff. They defeated Mercedes Rodriguez, Marvin Tapia, and Francisco Pichel in the general election for Miami Board of Commissioners District 1 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Alex Díaz de la Portilla (Nonpartisan) | 36.6 | 1,573 |
| ✔ | | Miguel Angel Gabela (Nonpartisan) | 28.9 | 1,240 |
| Mercedes Rodriguez (Nonpartisan) | 22.2 | 954 | ||
| Marvin Tapia (Nonpartisan) | 8.4 | 363 | ||
| Francisco Pichel (Nonpartisan) | 3.9 | 168 | ||
| Total votes: 4,298 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Díaz de la Portilla in this election.
2019
See also: City elections in Miami, Florida (2019)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Miami Board of Commissioners District 1
Alex Díaz de la Portilla defeated Miguel Angel Gabela in the general runoff election for Miami Board of Commissioners District 1 on November 19, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Alex Díaz de la Portilla (Nonpartisan) | 60.8 | 2,787 |
| Miguel Angel Gabela (Nonpartisan) | 39.2 | 1,797 | |
| Total votes: 4,584 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Miami Board of Commissioners District 1
The following candidates ran in the general election for Miami Board of Commissioners District 1 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Alex Díaz de la Portilla (Nonpartisan) | 38.8 | 2,489 |
| ✔ | | Miguel Angel Gabela (Nonpartisan) | 20.8 | 1,338 |
| Eleazar Melendez (Nonpartisan) | 17.6 | 1,127 | ||
| Horacio Aguirre (Nonpartisan) | 10.7 | 684 | ||
| Francisco Pichel (Nonpartisan) | 5.2 | 334 | ||
| Verania Hermida (Nonpartisan) | 4.1 | 261 | ||
| Yanny Hidalgo (Nonpartisan) | 2.9 | 187 | ||
| Total votes: 6,420 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
General runoff election
Special general runoff election for Miami-Dade County Commission District 5
Eileen Higgins defeated Zoraida Barreiro in the special general runoff election for Miami-Dade County Commission District 5 on June 19, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Eileen Higgins (Nonpartisan) | 53.4 | 7,451 |
 | Zoraida Barreiro (Nonpartisan) | 46.6 | 6,496 | |
| Total votes: 13,947 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
Special general election for Miami-Dade County Commission District 5
Eileen Higgins and Zoraida Barreiro advanced to a runoff. They defeated Alex Díaz de la Portilla and Carlos Garin in the special general election for Miami-Dade County Commission District 5 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Eileen Higgins (Nonpartisan) | 34.9 | 4,159 |
| ✔ | | Zoraida Barreiro (Nonpartisan) | 33.1 | 3,939 |
| Alex Díaz de la Portilla (Nonpartisan) | 27.2 | 3,239 | |
 | Carlos Garin (Nonpartisan) | 4.8 | 568 | |
| Total votes: 11,905 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2017
A special election for the position of Florida State Senate District 40 was held on September 26, 2017. Democrat Annette Taddeo, Republican Jose Felix Diaz, and independent Christian “He-Man” Schlaerth ran in the special election. Annette Taddeo won with 51.0 percent of the vote, flipping the seat from Republican to Democratic control.
There was a special primary election on July 25, 2017. Jose Felix Diaz won the Republican primary and Annette Taddeo won the Democratic primary.[1][2]
The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 31, 2017.[3] Candidates who successfully filed to run in this election were Republicans Jose Felix Diaz, Alex Diaz de la Portilla, and Lorenzo Palomares; Democrats Ana Rivas Logan, Steve Smith, and Annette Taddeo; and independent Christian “He-Man” Schlaerth.[4] Smith withdrew from the race on June 6, 2017, after the Miami Herald reported that he had not been registered as a Democrat for at least a year before running, contradicting the oath he took when he filed to run.[5]
The seat became vacant following the resignation of Republican Frank Artiles. Artiles resigned on April 21, 2017, following a exchange where he used a racial slur in front of two black state senators, Audrey Gibson (D) and Perry Thurston (D).
For more on the political context of this race click here.
| Florida State Senate, District 40, Special Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Annette Taddeo |
51% | 22,656 | |
| Republican | Jose Felix Diaz | 47.2% | 20,987 | |
| Independent | Christian Schlaerth | 1.8% | 820 | |
| Total Votes | 44,463 | |||
| Source: Florida Department of State | ||||
| Florida State Senate, District 40 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
Annette Taddeo |
70.7% | 7,101 | ||
| Ana Rivas Logan | 29.3% | 2,941 | ||
| Total Votes | 10,042 | |||
| Source: Florida Department of State |
||||
| Florida State Senate, District 40 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
Jose Felix Diaz |
57.8% | 7,678 | ||
| Alex Diaz de la Portilla | 25.6% | 3,398 | ||
| Lorenzo Palomares | 16.7% | 2,217 | ||
| Total Votes | 13,293 | |||
| Source: Florida Department of State |
||||
2012
Diaz de la Portilla ran in the 2012 election for Florida House of Representatives District 112. Diaz de la Portilla defeated Gustavo Barreiro and Eric Cecillio Padron in the Republican primary on August 14, 2012, and was defeated by Jose Javier Rodriguez (D) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jose Javier Rodriguez |
53.7% | 28,053 | |
| Republican | Alex Diaz de la Portilla | 46.3% | 24,195 | |
| Total Votes | 52,248 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Alex Diaz de la Portilla |
58.8% | 4,396 |
| Gustavo Barreiro | 41.2% | 3,075 |
| Total Votes | 7,471 | |
2010
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2010
Diaz de la Portilla did not run for re-election to the 36th District seat in 2010 as he reached his term limit. The primary took place on August 24, 2010. The general election took place on November 2, 2010.
2006
On November 7, 2006, Diaz de la Portilla won re-election to the Florida Senate from Florida's 36th Senate district. Diaz de la Portilla received 50,879 votes in the election, defeating Angie Rodriguez (write-in), who received 30 votes.[7] Diaz de la Portilla raised $284,500 for his campaign.[8]
| Florida Senate, District 36 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Alex Diaz de la Portilla (R)
|
50,879 | 99.9% | ||
| Angie Rodriguez (write-in) | 30 | 0.1% | ||
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
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2023
Alex Díaz de la Portilla did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Alex Díaz de la Portilla did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Díaz de la Portilla has a wife, Claudia Davant.
Noteworthy events
Arrest and suspension (2023)
On September 14, 2023, Díaz de la Portilla was arrested and charged on one felony count of money laundering, three felony counts of unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior, one felony count of misuse of public office, one felony count of criminal conspiracy, four felony counts of official misconduct, one felony count of campaign contribution in excess of legal limits for political committees, and two misdemeanor counts of failure to report a gift. [9]
On October 13, 2023, Diaz de la Portilla pleaded not guilty to the charges. [10]
On September 15, 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Díaz de la Portilla from the Miami Board of Commissioners. [11]
On September 23, 2023, the Miami City Commission voted to leave de la Portilla's seat on the Miami Board of Commissioners vacant until the general election in November 2023. [12] Díaz de la Portilla lost in the general runoff election on November 21, 2023.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Florida Department of State, Florida Election Watch," accessed July 25, 2017
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Jose Felix Diaz defeats Alex Diaz de la Portilla, will face Annette Taddeo in general election," July 25, 2017
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "Notice of Special Election for the Office of State Senate, District 40," accessed May 10, 2017
- ↑ SaintPetersBlog, "Jose Felix Diaz, six others qualify to run in SD 40 special election," May 31, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedMIAMISMITH - ↑ Florida Secretary of State Elections Division, "Candidate List," accessed June 14, 2012
- ↑ [ http://election.dos.state.fl.us/elections/resultsarchive/Index.asp?ElectionDate=11/7/2006&DATAMODE= Florida Senate official election results for 2006]
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2006 Contributions," accessed December 16, 2014
- ↑ ‘’Ron DeSantis, 46th Governor of Florida,’' “Memorandum: Executive Order 23-184 (Executive Order of Suspension),” accessed September 21, 2023
- ↑ ‘’NBC 6 South Florida,’' “Alex Diaz de la Portilla pleads not guilty to money laundering and other charges,” accessed October 15, 2023
- ↑ ‘’Ron DeSantis, 46th Governor of Florida,’' “Memorandum: Executive Order 23-184 (Executive Order of Suspension),” accessed September 21, 2023
- ↑ ‘’CBS News Miami,’' “Miami City Commission votes to leave District 1 seat vacant following Alex Díaz de la Portilla suspension,” September 23, 2023
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Willy Gort |
Miami Board of Commissioners District 1 2019-2023 |
Succeeded by Miguel Angel Gabela |
| Preceded by - |
Florida State Senate District 36 2002-2010 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Florida State Senate District 34 2000-2002 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Florida House of Representatives District 115 1994-2000 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||||||||
