Op-Ed by Former Code Enforcement Board Member Christi Reeves-Tasker
Miami Mayor Candidates Like Harpy Eagles Watching City of Miami Commissioners Squeezing One More Year Out of Voters
In the heart of our sizzling Miami Jungle, beneath the neon fronds and the cacophonous screech of lobbying mocking parrots, a group of vigilant, curious harp eagles defend the idea of democracy through the Miami Home Rule Charter. Read the Miami Home Rule Charter for more information.
On Tuesday, at a rescheduled City of Miami Commission meeting, Commissioner Damian Pardo entered the dais with sheer jungle swagger and multiple problematic agenda items, one to evade the real rulers of the canopy: the voters, and the other to evade ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
Citizens were lined up for hours to speak at the podium, mostly on ICE meanwhile one of the biggest issues on the City Commission Agenda was whether or not Miami politicians could give themselves more time in office.
Pardo’s Play To Give “Ponzi Postalita” Francis Suarez One More Year and Time for Him To Campaign for Mayor
As if Miami hasn’t had enoough of Joe Carollo’s outrageous judgements and Mayor Francis Suarez’s Ponzi schemes with Miami Coin and FTX’s Sam Bankman Fried and the many FBI investigations, and shady development deals and the Untrusted Bayfront Park Trust, Commissioner Damian Pardo‘s first-ditch effort to move municipal election dates from odd‑numbered years to even‑numbered ones—or even tweak the terms of our elected wildlife mostly from foriegn countries would give these rotten bananas one more year in office—without checking with the real rulers of the canopy: the legal Miami voters.
Miami Mayoral Candidates Roar Like Lions
Miami Mayoral candidates already running to replace the rotten bananas before the city has another slip and fall accident are outraged and roaring like lions protecting their cubs, in this case it’s the citizens. Fortunately there are mulitple candidates ready to legally pounce on the politicians and make judicial prey out of them for Miami’s history. Together most of the
Here’s the scoop from the latest jungle scroll read by Miami Mayoral Candidates:
-
- Michael Hepburn, whose family has been in Miami-Dade since 1892. In an exclusive phone interview, Hepburn told Banana Republic News that “he promised to uphold citizens’ civil rights” against the banana republic-style political dynasties ruling Miami. Hepburn reached out to the Florida Attorney General for the opinion below.
- Retired U.S. Army Colonel Emilio Gonzalez went to X, calling the agenda item ” A power grab to stay in office. No voter input allowed because they know this would fail in a referendum. Enough. I stand with @GovRonDeSantis and @AGJamesUthmeier. Voters’ rights and the rule of law must be respected. Gonzalez is a respected U.S. Army Intelligence Officer who has held the highest esteem of Presidential Access. When Gonzalez began questioning City expenses and contracts in his short tenure as City Manager, Joe Carollo and Alex Diaz de la Portillas did not want Gonzalez’s eyes on their prize monies, aka citizen taxpayers or their dollars.
- June Savage, a longtime Miami Real Estate Agent, who’s also a Daughter of the Revolution (DAR) told the Commission to unleash the police and quit politicking using taxpayer dollars in a post shared by @miamidadetoday:
View this post on Instagram
No Matter When The City of Miami Primary Elections Are Held, What Matters Is The Run-off Date
After the Commissioner Pardo’s first but very UNFINALIZED attempt to unofficially run away from the ballot box, Hepburn says he has reached out to all candidates to inform them that it is unlikely any one candidate can achieve 51% of the vote in a November race, meaning that the real election for the City of Miami mayor and potentially new commissioners would take place in a December run off. Conveniently, in parrot jungle style, the December run-offs take place just before Christmas. Therefore, only supervoters typically show up to vote in December races, which defeats Commissioner Pardo’s reasoning for evading the voters’ voice.
Florida Attorney General Issues Legal Opinion re: Jungle Laws
Hepburn reached out to the Florida Attorney General’s Office for Opinion AGO 2025‑01, issued June 11, 2025, which stated:
If the City of Miami is to amend its charter, either to move the date of municipal elections or to change the terms of office for elected officials, then the change may only proceed by a vote of the electors, as described in Article VI, section 6.03 of the County’s Home Rule Charter”.
Additionally, Hepburn stated, “Miami Dade County Supervisor of Elections confirmed that 38,000 City of Miami voters are considered inactive and removed from the voter roll, narrowing the current registered voters to around 177,000”. It is unclear how these voters will be re-registered or if the current city commissioner and city mayoral candidates are aware of this critical update.
Banana Republic News hopes to provide some insight and alert the citizens of action items to take before the monkeys leave the farm with all of the vegetation.
🌴 Jungle Law: Who Runs This Canopy?
The politicians may think they run the canopy, but they do NOT.
- Ancient Roots: Miami-Dade County’s power structure stems from the Florida Constitution—originally penned in 1885, then spruced up with a 2018 amendment—that grants municipalities the exclusive right to tweak their own charters via a very specific process (myfloridalegal.com).
- County’s VIP Role: The County Charter (specifically Article VI, Section 6.03) insists that any city charter amendment—like moving election dates—can only happen one way: through a voter-approved referendum after official notice and resolution.
- Jungle Law Triumphs: Even if state statutes or some ambitious Commissioner suggest otherwise, they’re subsumed by this “exclusive” County Charter path. No bypassing the electorate’s roar (myfloridalegal.com).
🐒 Swinging Through Hypotheticals
Imagine Commissioner Pardo—swinging in on a vine—tried to decree and shift our elections: “On my say-so, we’ll vote in 2026!” The Attorney General responds with a roar: Nope! Unless the people of Miami get to vote on it, that twitch of power is merely an illusion.
And yes—even if someone appeals to the Florida Election Code or general state law—that too hits a brick wall. The Charter’s “exclusive” clause says those tactics won’t stand—they cannot override the mandatory referendum process (myfloridalegal.com).
🦜 Key Takeaway for Our Jungle Voters
- Charter changes? 🗳️ Only via special election or referendum triggered by petition or resolution. So no matter what, there must be an election.
- Commission decree? 💤 Ain’t happening. Jungle leadership doesn’t trump voter power.
- State laws conflicting with County/City Charter? The Charter is the alpha here—unless the Legislature wields ultra-specific authority, it’s outmaneuvered.
🦧 Jungle Comedy Style
In the City of Miami, you can’t just swing in on a whim and shift election years. That’s like a cheeky iguana deciding the canopy’s color—cute, but not binding. The only thing louder than Miami’s nightlife is the voters, and you must hear them roar at the ballot box 📣.
So next time the City Commission muses about flipping the election script, remind them: unless they’re bringing a referendum, they’re auditioning for a role in a jungle comedy—without the final ACT!
Here’s a deeper breakdown of the procedural vines or a ticker‑tape algorithm for triggering that referendum, complete with a survival guide for voters to combat any sneaky Commissioner attempts to delay elections:
🌴 Voter Survival Guide in the Miami Jungle
Imagine the City Commission is plotting to postpone elections from 2025 to 2026 — a maneuver straight out of the viney shadows. Thankfully, the Florida Attorney General has already roared back: this requires voter approval via a referendum (caribbeannationalweekly.com). Other candidates tell Banana Republic News they are ready to take legal action, much like Commissioner Gabela had to take to protect his civil rights so that he could protect yours. That’s our cue to spring into action.
🐒 Step 1: Track the Tigers (Commission Meetings & Agendas)
- Sign up for City Commission alerts on the City of Miami website and watch public meetings, especially the public comments.
- Attend the June 26th Commission meeting and any other public meetings — these are where proposals to delay elections will likely pop up. The last reading for the City Commissioners’ attempts to elect themselves to longer terms is already on the June 26th Agenda.
- Testify during public comment: demand that any charter change be put before voters in a referendum. If you do not like to testify during a public comment, please be there to yield your time to another person who has the same stance as you do. For example, time is often yielded to journalists or public speakers to ensure the message of the people is conveyed.
🦜 Step 2: Rally the Flock (Community Awareness and Pressure)
- Post on local Facebook groups or Nextdoor: “Miami elections matter — commissioners can’t push elections without letting VOTERS decide in the election!”
- Encourage traditional outreach: emails, flyers, phone trees, text blasts — especially in your neighborhood.
- High-profile allies: Encourage candidates, civic leaders, and local press to highlight the Attorney General’s warning and support voter-led oversight.
🐆 Step 3: Referendum Ready (Activate the Voter Beasts)
- Call your commissioners and advocate for the referendum change to include all aspects of term limits and details to prevent further lawsuits and clarify details:
-
Shall the City of Miami Charter be amended to:
-
Impose term limits of 8 years for City Commissioners and 8 additional years for service as Mayor, capping total lifetime service to 16 years;
-
Align all future City elections with the State and Federal general elections in even-numbered years, beginning in 2026;
-
Extend the terms of Commissioners and Mayor elected in 2025 by one (1) year to align their terms with the new election schedule;
-
Authorize the Commission to appoint a qualified individual to serve temporarily in the event of a vacancy or gap year; and
-
Require that any appointee to the Commission or Mayoral seat be subject to the Miami-Dade County Home Rule Charter and be ineligible to run for that office in the next election cycle?
☐ YES – Approve the Charter Amendment
☐ NO – Reject the Charter Amendment -
-
- The Home Rule Charter mandates changes only by referendum (caribbeannationalweekly.com).
- Once commissioners propose the delay, they must pass a resolution calling for a special referendum, followed by public notice.
- If they refuse? Neighbors can file a citizen’s petition under the Charter’s initiative power — enough signatures, and boom, referendum secured.
🐍 Step 4: Election Defense (When the Referendum Arrives)
- Get Election Ready:
- ✅ Ensure your mailing address is current — so ballots and notices land in your hands.
- ✅ Know the referendum wording — the referendum should be crystal clear: “Do you approve moving Miami elections to 2026?”
- ✅ Vote decisively — a “No” vote protects our right to timely elections.
- ✅ Subscribe to BananaRepublicNews.com for up-to-date election news.
🌺 Jungle Justice: Keep Watch, Stay Vocal
| Action | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| Call/email your Commissioner | Remind them of AG opinion: No elections without your say |
| Attend public meetings | Commissioners hate a room full of engaged voters |
| Share AG news | Cite the AG’s ruling: “Opposition is grounded in state Charter law” |
| Mobilize a community petition | Direct pathway to forcing a referendum |
🦧 Jungle Voters Must:
- 🧐 Watch Commission moves carefully.
- 📣 Speak up at meetings and online.
- ✍️ Sign a petition or push for a referendum.
- 🗳️ Vote in the referendum if they try to delay your elections.
Final Roar:
The rules are clear: the City Commission lacks the power to push election dates without voter say-so (caribbeannationalweekly.com, southmiamifl.gov). Voters have the power — and the Charter backing — to defeat any such ploy. So sharpen your claws, gather your troops, and let your roar echo through city hall on June 26th and prior: “MY ELECTION, MY VOTE — NO DELAYS!”
