Real Estate Funds Surface in Miami Judicial Race
Key Takeaways
- •Judge Mavel Ruiz faces attorney Destiny Alvarez in an August 18 primary election.
- •New Vision for Our Courts PAC received $29,000 and funded attacks against Ruiz.
- •Roughly $140,000 from real estate industry flowed through multiple political action committees.
A typically low-profile judicial election in Miami-Dade County has attracted substantial real estate industry funding, with roughly $140,000 from developers, investors, brokers, property managers and contractors flowing through a network of political action committees.
The race pits incumbent Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mavel Ruiz, who has served two six-year terms, against attorney Destiny Alvarez in an August 18 primary election. The contest has generated unusual attention for a non-partisan state court judge seat, partly due to Ruiz's involvement in the controversial legal battle over downtown Miami land designated for President Donald Trump's presidential library.
A newly formed political committee called New Vision for Our Courts received $29,000 in contributions and funded a June 25 mass text message campaign directing Miami residents to a website critical of Ruiz. The site referenced past judicial issues and a recent campaign finance complaint filed against the incumbent judge.
The funding trail reveals a complex structure of political committees transferring money between one another, obscuring the original source of donations. Several real estate industry donors who contributed to one PAC later stated they were unaware their funds could be redirected to attack a sitting judge and had not intended such use.
Ruiz made headlines last year presiding over activist Marvin Dunn's lawsuit against Miami Dade College regarding the transfer of a nearly three-acre downtown site valued at approximately $67 million. The college transferred the property to the state, after which Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet donated it to Trump's library foundation.
The judge initially blocked the transfer temporarily, siding with Dunn's claims that the college violated state open government laws by providing inadequate public notice before voting on the land transfer. After the college's board of trustees held a second vote with the same approval outcome, Ruiz ruled in December that this addressed the transparency concerns and dismissed the lawsuit.
However, an appeals court disqualified Ruiz from further proceedings in the matter in May, citing allegations of bias after she was observed hugging Dunn and thanking him for pursuing the suit when the December hearing concluded.
Political committees must file regular financial reports disclosing donor names, addresses, occupations and contribution amounts. However, PAC chairpeople can transfer funds between committees, creating chains that complicate tracking money flow for donors themselves.
The August 18 primary represents one of the most contentious Miami-Dade judicial races in recent memory, departing significantly from the traditionally quiet, low-attention contests for state court judge positions.
