F
ormer Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado's campaign for Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser is largely funded by prominent developers and commercial property owners, according to an analysis by The Real Deal. Despite his Democratic opponent Marisol Zenteno having two decades of experience as a state-licensed property appraiser, including eight years in the office she seeks, Regalado has secured significant financial backing from real estate professionals.

    Regalado's campaign and a separate political action committee supporting him have raised around $208,000, with nearly three-quarters of the funds coming from real estate professionals, land use lawyers, and builders. The biggest donors appear on campaign finance reports filed by Proven Leadership, a PAC that doesn't have to abide by contribution limits.

    Miami-based developers Melo Group and Julio del Rey each contributed $20,000 to the PAC in February and March, respectively. Related Group, led by Jorge Pérez, kicked in the second-largest contribution of $10,000 in July. Dacra's Craig Robins said he supports Regalado based on his past performance as mayor, but doesn't know much about Zenteno.

    Zenteno, who works as an income evaluation specialist in the property appraiser's office, has raised $97,000 with small donations from individuals in the real estate industry. She snagged endorsements from the Miami Association of Realtors' PAC and the Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations. In 2020, she lost to her current boss by only six percentage points.

    Zenteno said deep-pocketed developers are supporting Regalado because he's an entrenched member of the Miami-Dade political ecosystem. However, she argues that her hands-on work experience is more valuable than his political connections. "They should vote for someone who understands the intricacies of the real estate market," Zenteno said.

    The property appraiser position became a partisan election this year due to a 2018 state amendment. Zenteno is benefiting from running as part of a Democratic slate, which includes former elected officials and party support. While Regalado has endorsements from developer groups, Zenteno notes that she has the backing of the realtor's association.

    Regalado argues that his experience as mayor gave him the knowledge necessary to run the property appraiser's office. As a Republican, he claims he'll have easier access to the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature, which can change laws providing tax relief for property owners.