Miami’s Political Dynasties Have Paid Over $52,000 in Fines for Breaking Florida’s Election Laws
For more than four decades, a select group of families has maintained a powerful grip on Miami-Dade County politics. But behind their public influence lies a troubling pattern of legal violations. These political dynasties have repeatedly broken Florida’s election laws, leading to more than $52,000 in fines issued by the Florida Elections Commission (FEC).
These fines are not mere slaps on the wrist. Every fine is tied to a final order issued by the Florida Elections Commission. In many cases, to settle these violations, the individuals must sign these orders, acknowledging that they are guilty of breaking the law and agreeing to the terms of the settlement. In some cases, copies of the checks used to pay these fines are included with the final orders.
The Diaz de la Portilla Family: $32,391 in Fines for breaking Florida Election Law 25 times and counting
The Diaz de la Portilla family has a long history of opening political committees and many of these committees have been fined for breaking Florida's election laws. The FEC has levied substantial fines against multiple members of this family.
Alex Diaz de la Portilla: 17 fines totaling $25,393.75 for breaking multiple Florida election laws
Alex Diaz de la Portilla, a central figure in Miami-Dade politics, has faced long-standing legal challenges over violations of Florida’s election laws, resulting in $25,393.75 in fines to date. His entanglements with the Florida Elections Commission (FEC) date back to the 1990s and reflect a broader pattern of defiance and controversy.
In 1995, while serving as a state representative, Diaz de la Portilla was embroiled in a legal dispute over his failure to file timely campaign finance reports following his unsuccessful 1992 election bid. While other legislators in Miami-Dade were granted leniency due to Hurricane Andrew’s destruction, Diaz de la Portilla waited over a year to file his reports, resulting in a contempt of court order and fines totaling more than $7,000. At one point, he even faced the prospect of 90 days in jail for his refusal to pay the fines and disclose his financial information. He later settled the fines with an installment payment plan, though he blamed the Florida Elections Department for "inflexibility" in negotiating the terms.
Diaz de la Portilla’s troubles didn’t end there. In 1999, he successfully ran for a state Senate seat, but once again, his campaign finance reports came under scrutiny. The Florida Elections Commission initially fined him a record-breaking $311,000 for nearly 300 violations, accusing him of "reckless disregard" for election laws. Among the charges were failure to report two-thirds of the money raised during his campaign, accepting a cash contribution 100 times the legal limit, and running ads without the legally required disclaimers. Although an appeals court later reduced the number of violations to 17, Diaz de la Portilla continued to maintain that the errors were minor and unintentional. After appealing his case to the Florida Supreme Court, his fine in that case was reduced to $8,750.
Renier Diaz de la Portilla: 5 fines totaling $6,347.30 for breaking Florida election laws
Renier Diaz de la Portilla has been fined at least five times, totaling $6,347.30 for his violations.
In one example in 2002, Renier Diaz de la Portilla was fined $2,500 by the Florida Elections Commission for failing to file a campaign treasurer’s report on time. The report was due on September 6, 2002, and despite multiple warnings, Diaz de la Portilla did not submit it, nor did he pay the assessed fine or appeal the decision. As a result, the Florida Elections Commission issued a Default Final Order, affirming the fine and requiring Diaz de la Portilla to pay the amount within 30 days.
Read more about Renier Diaz de la Portilla's election law violations here.
Miguel Diaz de la Portilla: 3 fines totaling $650
Miguel Diaz de la Portilla the former state senator and influential political figure, has also found himself embroiled in legal challenges over violations of Florida’s election laws has been fined at least three times, accumulating $650 in penalties.
In one notable example, his role as chairman of the political committee Floridians for Ethics in Judicial Elections (FEJE) led to significant scrutiny and penalties from the Florida Elections Commission (FEC).
In 2014, the FEC charged Floridians for Ethics in Judicial Elections with failing to provide required information on its Statement of Organization. This violation occurred in connection with FEJE’s support of Miguel’s brother, Renier Diaz de la Portilla, who was running for Circuit Court Judge at the time. The committee failed to disclose that it was supporting Renier, instead listing "To be determined" in its organizational paperwork.
The FEC found that this omission was not incidental. FEJE, a committee formed with Miguel as its chairman, had a clear intent to support Renier from the outset. Just three days after filing the incomplete paperwork, the committee distributed political mailers supporting Renier’s candidacy, leading to allegations that the omission was deliberate.
The investigation into FEJE revealed that the committee may have been established solely to support Renier’s candidacy, and yet it failed to comply with the legal requirement to disclose this intent in its filings. As a result, the FEC fined FEJE for violating Sections 106.03(2) and 106.19(1)(c) of the Florida Statutes, imposing a civil penalty of $400 in a final order signed in 2016.
While this fine was relatively small compared to other penalties faced by the Diaz de la Portilla family, it highlighted the ongoing legal challenges associated with their political activities. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla's involvement in this committee, which came under fire for obscuring its true purpose, further cemented the family’s troubled history with election law compliance.
The Regalado Family: $15,150 in fines for “apparent willful disregard for the rule of law”
Tomas P. Regalado and his daughter Raquel Regalado, both prominent figures in Miami politics, found themselves in legal trouble over campaign finance violations that almost resulted in criminal charges. Together, they have accumulated at least $16,300 in fines for breaking Florida’s election laws.
In 2011, both Tomas and Raquel Regalado were investigated by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), and the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust for discrepancies in their campaign finance reports during Tomas’ 2009 mayoral campaign. At the time, Raquel Regalado had served as her father's campaign treasurer, and it was her legal obligation to file correct and timely campaign finance reports. The Regalados often had family members and close friends do paid work on their campaigns and Raquel Regalado was paid several thousand dollars for her services on this campaign. The investigation revealed a $40,000 discrepancy in contributions and expenses, and at least one report was filed past the deadline.
MIAMI - NOVEMBER 02: City of Miami mayoral candidate Tomas Regalado (C) does last minute campaigning before voters head to the polls tomorrow on election day on November 2, 2009 in Miami, Florida. Regalado is squaring off against fellow city commissioner Joe Sanchez to become mayor of the city. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
At the heart of the investigation were allegations that the Regalados had forged campaign finance reports, leading to the possibility of criminal charges. A forensic auditor with the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics uncovered six violations of Florida’s campaign finance laws. The violations were serious enough that both FDLE investigators and the ethics commission believed the case warranted criminal prosecution. According to then-director of the ethics commission Joe Centorino, the Regalados had acted “in apparent willful disregard for the rule of law”.
However, despite the findings, no criminal charges were filed. Instead, both Tomas and Raquel Regalado settled the case by agreeing to pay $5,000 fines each. This outcome sparked criticism, as some noted that in other cases, such as that of former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Bruce Kaplan, harsher penalties like forced resignations had been imposed.
Tomas P. Regalado faced fines for another instance of violating Florida election law: in 1999 he was fined $3,500 for the late filing of two campaign treasurer's reports was appealed and reduced to $1,650 (FEC Case: FEC 99-309 W). In another instance (which we are not counting in the total), Mr. Regalado was fined $1,150 for the late filing of his 2007 termination report. This fine was appealed and waived in full. (FEC Case No: FEC 08-149).
Raquel Regalado also faced penalties 4 additional times for breaking Florida's election laws during her campaign for Miami-Dade County mayor in 2015 and 2016.
FEC Case 15-372
Raquel Regalado, a 2016 candidate for Miami-Dade County Mayor, was found to have accepted two in-kind contributions exceeding the legal limits on March 10, 2015. The contributions were from the electioneering communications organization "Serving Miamians" for website design for "RaquelRegalado.com" and for advertising production. The Florida Elections Commission imposed a $2,000 fine for two violations of Section 106.19(1)(a), Florida Statutes (FEC 15-372).
FEC Case 16-151
Raquel Regalado accepted an excessive in-kind contribution from Miami-Dade Partnership for Prosperity, Inc., in the form of radio advertisements during her 2016 mayoral campaign. Through a consent order, she agreed to a civil penalty of $500 to resolve the case. Regalado waived her right to further proceedings and appeals, and the fine was payable to the Florida Elections Commission(FEC 16-151).
FEC Case 16-623
In this case, Raquel Regalado accepted an excessive in-kind contribution from "Good Government in Miami-Dade County", a political committee, in the form of a political advertisement for her 2016 mayoral campaign. A consent order was reached, and she was fined $500. Regalado agreed to waive her rights to further proceedings and appeals(FEC 16-623).
FEC Case 16-705
Another violation occurred when Raquel Regalado accepted an excessive in-kind contribution from "Miami-Dade Partnership for Prosperity, Inc.", in the form of radio advertisements. As part of a consent order, she agreed to a $500 civil penalty. Regalado waived her right to additional legal action and the fine was payable to the Florida Elections Commission (FEC 16-705).
The Hardemon Family: $4,743 in Fines for violating Florida election law
The Florida Elections Commission has found that Roy Hardemon has consistently violated Florida’s election laws, particularly for filing late campaign treasurer reports. The FEC has ordered him to pay fines an astounding 20 times, totaling $4,743.70.
- April 2021, FEC 21-268: $50.00 fine for failure to file the 2020 TR campaign treasurer's report on November 16, 2020.
- April 2020, FEC 20-077: $121.00 fine for failure to file the 2019 M10 campaign treasurer's report on November 12, 2019.
- April 2020, FEC 20-076: $250.00 fine for failure to file the 2019 M9 campaign treasurer's report on October 10, 2019.
- April 2020, FEC 20-064: $25.00 fine for failure to file the 2019 M11 campaign treasurer's report on December 10, 2019.
- January 2020, FEC 20-002: $62.50 fine for failure to file the 2019 M8 campaign treasurer's report on September 10, 2019.
- August 2019, FEC 18-501: $50.00 fine for failure to file an addendum to the 2018 P3 report within seven days.
- February 2017, FEC 17-001: $150.00 fine for failure to file the 2016 P3 campaign treasurer's report on July 29, 2016.
- March 2017, FEC 16-472: $125.00 fine for failure to file the 2016 P7 campaign treasurer's report on August 26, 2016.
- March 2017, FEC 16-471: $50.00 fine for failure to file the 2016 P4 campaign treasurer's report on August 5, 2016.
- February 2017, FEC 16-470: $187.50 fine for failure to file the 2016 P2 campaign treasurer's report on July 15, 2016.
- March 2017, FEC 16-469: $445.45 fine for failure to file the 2016 P1 campaign treasurer's report on July 1, 2016.
- June 2011, FEC 11-137: $500.00 fine for failure to file the campaign treasurer's report on July 23, 2010.
- August 2010, FEC 10-169: $450.00 fine for failure to file the campaign treasurer's report on November 24, 2008.
- August 2010, FEC 10-168: $62.50 fine for failure to file the campaign treasurer's report on July 25, 2008.
- December 2008, FEC 08-197: $550.00 fine for failure to file the campaign treasurer's report on April 10, 2008.
- June 2005, FEC 05-115: $87.50 fine for failure to file the campaign treasurer's report by the designated due date.
- March 2005, FEC 05-099: $126.25 fine for failure to file the campaign treasurer's report by the designated due date.
- January 2003, FEC 02-016: $1,000.00 fine for failing to file the required termination report.
- April 2001, FEC 01-113: $422.50 fine for failure to file the campaign treasurer's report on time.
- July 2000, FEC 00-185: $28.50 fine for failure to file the campaign treasurer's report by the due date.
The Gimenez Family: A Treasurer Fined for Election Law Violations
Carlos Gimenez, a major figure in Miami politics, has also been fined for violating Florida’s election laws. His 2012 campaign treasurer, Adam Cedrati, was fined $300 in July 2013 under FEC 14-316 for failing to comply with election finance reporting requirements during Mr. Gimenez’s 2012 reelection campaign. Like the others, Gimenez’s treasurer agreed to the final order, admitting to the violation.
Click here to read the final order.
The Carollo Family: A Single Fine for Election Law Violations
Joe Carollo may have a lower record of violations, but he is not exempt from scrutiny. He was fined $225 in October 2020 under FEC 18-354 for breaking Florida’s election laws. The final order bearing his signature shows his admission of guilt in this case.
Sources:
- "Lawmaker could be jailed over unpaid fines" by Tim Nickens, Miami Herald, June 8, 1995
- "Lawmaker resolves contempt case fines" by Time Nickesn, Miami Herald, June 28, 1995
- "Legislator is fine a record $311,000" by Lesley Clark, Miami Herald, November 8, 2001
- "Senator still faces case from '99 race" by Gary Fineout, Miami Herald, May 21, 2004
- State of Florida, Florida Elections Commission, Case FEC 02-461 - In re: Renier Diaz De La Portilla filed December 31, 2002
- State of Florida, Florida Elections Commission, Case FEC 14-274 - "Florida Elections Commission, Petitioner, v. Floridians for Ethics in Judicial Elections, Respondent" filed November 18, 2016
- State of Florida, Florida Elections Commission, Case 14-274, NOTICE OF HEARING "In re: Floridians for Ethics and Judicial Elections - Redacted" November 15, 2016
- Raquel Regalado Took On the Establishment; Now She Wants to Run It, By Trevor Bach, Miami New Times, January 27, 2015
- "Magic City Madhouse" - Jim Mullin, editor, Biscayne Times, March 2013