Republican lawyer and former police officer Ignacio "Iggy" Alvarez didn't officially enter the crowded 2024 race for Miami-Dade County Sheriff until last week, but he still managed to outpace 11 other candidates vying for the job in third-quarter fundraising.
That's because, although he wasn't technically in the contest, he'd already started collecting donations in late July, when he opened a political committee called Law, Order, Justice and Integrity.
By Sept. 30, the end of Q3, he had collected $152,000 through fewer than 35 donations, most of them personal checks.
The haul was three times more than his closest fundraising competitor amassed with about a month's extra time.
Alvarez, a 25-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department who retired in 2017 as a major of the special victims unit, tapped more than two dozen individual donors, a handful of local companies and a national trade group.
His largest gain was a $20,000 check from Kenneth Shanley, the founder and CEO of hotel software company Vindow. He received $10,000 apiece from real estate investor and education executive Rolando Mir, real estate investor Stuart Kalb and startup adviser and investor Abdellatif Bedier.
He also took $1,000 from Nelson Cuba, the former President of the Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police, who pleaded guilty in 2015 to charges of engaging in an illegal gambling operation. Cuba received a year of house arrest, four years' probation and no prison. At the time of his sentencing, he was working for Miami Lakes-based Nick's Cigar Co, which among other things makes and sells Perdomo brand cigars.
The cigar company gave Alvarez $5,000 as well.
Three South Florida real estate companies chipped in. Fort Lauderdale-based JCH Holdings Group donated $10,000, while Miami investor Collective Zag and Miami Beach subcontractor Axeso Strategies gave $5,000 and $2,500, respectively.
Other non-personal contributions included a $3,500 check from the Recording Industry Association of America and $2,000 from Midtown Towing of Miami.
Alvarez spent $6,437, leaving him with about $145,500 left in the political committee at the end of last month. Most of his spending covered merchant fees and campaign checks. He also paid $2,500 to the RHF Law Firm in Miami for legal services.
Fellow Republican and retired Miami-Dade Police Major Mario Knapp raised a comparatively modest $30,000 between July 1 and Sept. 30 through his campaign account and political committee, For a Safer Miami-Dade.
He received more than 125 personal checks, some as low as $5. Most were for three figures, and roughly 40% came from fellow law enforcement professionals.
The largest personal check was for $4,000 and came from a sports entertainment executive with a Miami Beach address named Robert Bryan.
Knapp also got $7,000 from Subsea Global Solutions, a diver technician company based in Miami, and $5,000 from Sunshine Gasoline Distributors.
After spending $11,000 on print supplies, advertising, consulting, legal fees and bank charges, Knapp had about $97,500 left going into the closing quarter of 2023.
Miami-Dade Police Sgt. Orlando "Orly" Lopez, a Republican, raised $12,575 since entering the race on Sept. 8. Of that, $12,000 was self-given. The remainder came through 12 personal checks.
Lopez, who sits on the Miami-Dade LGBTQ Advisory Board, also spent about $1,200 on campaign website costs.
Democratic Miami-Dade Police Major John Barrow, who filed for the race on Sept. 18, raised about $7,000 between his campaign account and political committee, A Safer Stronger Miami-Dade, in the 12 days that followed.
He also spent close to $4,000, mostly on campaign consulting.
All the donations he received, except for a $500 self-loan, were personal checks of mostly three-figure sums from people of various professional backgrounds.
Other Q3 financial activity in the Sheriff's race included:
— Retired Miami-Dade Police officer Ernie Rodriguez, a Republican who filed Sept. 8. He raised $5,100 and spent $88.
— Retired Miami-Dade Police Lt. Rickey Mitchell, a Democrat who has operated a funeral parlor for three-plus decades. He raised about $3,696 and spent $9,972. Mitchell has given his campaign $275,000 in loans since he filed for the race in March. As of Sept. 30, he had about $255,000 left.
— Miami City Police officer Ruamen DelaRua, a Republican who filed June 1. He raised $3,075 last quarter, spent $2,693 and held $2,089 by the end of the quarter.
— Jaspen Bishop of Homestead, a Republican who filed June 1 and raised $2,500 last quarter. He also spent $723 and had $1,777 left by Sept. 30.
— Democratic federal agent-turned-community activist Susan Khoury, who filed to run Sept. 14. She transferred $120 last month from her bank account to her campaign account and political committee, Khoury for Justice.
— Miami-Dade Police officer Rolando Riera, a Republican who filed Sept. 22. He reported no campaign activity.
— Retired Miami-Dade Police reserve officer Alex Fornet, a Republican. He entered the race Sept. 14. As of Thursday, he had not yet filed a campaign finance report.
Republican John Rivera, a retired Miami-Dade Police sergeant and former President of the police benevolent associations of Florida and Miami-Dade, filed for the race on Oct. 3 and won't have to report on his fundraising and spending until Jan. 10.
Former Miami City Commissioner and Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Sanchez¸ also a Republican, is considering a run for Sheriff as well but has yet to throw his hat into the ring.
Miami-Dade hasn't had an elected Sheriff since 1966, when voters there eliminated the position after a grand jury report revealed rampant corruption within the department. Instead, the county has a police director, who is appointed by and reports to the Mayor.
In 2018, however, 58% of Miami-Dade voters joined a statewide supermajority in approving a constitutional amendment requiring all 67 counties in Florida to have an elected Sheriff, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser and Clerk of Courts by early 2025.
Former Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez, a Republican-turned-Democrat, was widely considered a shoo-in for the returning Sheriff post until his attempted suicide on July 23 following domestic dispute at a Sheriff's conference in Tampa.
He dropped out of the race Sept. 20.
The 2024 Primary Election is Aug. 20, followed by the General Election on Nov. 5.
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