A new face is joining the Miami City Commission.
Urban planner Ralph Rosado has won the special election for Miami’s District 4 seat, defeating Jose Regalado by a narrow margin to succeed the late Commissioner Manolo Reyes.
Rosado captured 55% of the vote in a race decided by fewer than 600 ballots.
A return to City Hall
Rosado, who previously lost a 2017 bid for the same seat, celebrated the victory as a personal and political milestone. “This has been a long road, and I’m so excited to serve the community,” he said at his election night party.
He called the win “incredibly exciting” and thanked supporters who helped him return to City Hall.
District 4 could play a pivotal role on the commission, often serving as a tiebreaker on contentious issues. Rosado was endorsed by District 3 Commissioner Joe Carollo, while Regalado, the son of Miami-Dade Property Appraiser Tomás Regalado and brother of County Commissioner Raquel Regalado, was backed by the Reyes family.
Campaign clashes and future independence
Despite his alignment with Carollo, Rosado pushed back on the idea that his decisions would be swayed. “I hope to be a voice of reason,” he said. “I have deep respect for each of the members of the dais, and I’m looking forward to working with them. There are no sides to take.”
Carollo echoed Rosado’s stance, saying, “Ralph Rosado is going to be an extremely independent commissioner.”
Raquel Regalado, who helped manage her brother’s campaign, conceded graciously. “We couldn’t have done more in this short amount of time—and again, so much money and so much influence. But we’re proud of the campaign we ran. We didn’t lie,” she said.
Rosado’s priorities: Seniors, storm drainage and savings
Looking ahead, Rosado said he plans to focus on tax relief and infrastructure. His first initiatives include proposing a plan to eliminate city property taxes for senior citizens and continuing drainage improvement projects initiated by Reyes.
“We’ve got to look at the budget and figure out where there are ways we can save some money,” Rosado said. “We’ve got to give folks as much tax relief as possible.” As Miami continues to recover from recent severe weather, he said he’s committed to finishing what his predecessor started.
