Former Miami City Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla, who was suspended from office by the governor last year following his arrest on charges of money laundering and bribery, is considering running for mayor of Miami in 2025, he told the Miami Herald on Friday.
The announcement lands one day shy of the anniversary of Díaz de la Portilla’s Sept. 14, 2023, arrest . Prosecutors have accused him of orchestrating a scheme to route nearly a quarter-million dollars in campaign contributions to two political committees he controlled in exchange for his support on a land development project.
Díaz de la Portilla is scheduled to go to trial in December. He has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
In a series of text messages to the Herald on Friday, Díaz de la Portilla said he is weighing a run for one of the open City Commission seats next year, as well as for mayor. The current mayor, Francis Suarez, is termed out next year.
“That is what I have done for over 30 years,” Díaz de la Portilla wrote. “I like to serve the public.”