A county judge has ruled on what is typically considered common sense in politics: You’ve got to live in the city where you want to be mayor.
Mayra Joli, a Coral Gables resident who achieved brief internet fame for her enthusiastic support of former president Donald Trump during a televised debate, has been disqualified from the mayor’s race in the city of Miami. In September, Joli submitted a sworn affidavit to Miami’s city clerk that said she lived in Coral Gables. She listed a secondary address inside Miami city limits, but she still tried to run against incumbent Mayor Francis Suarez and four other candidates. The election is Nov. 2.
Under city rules, the clerk was required to see a judicial determination to address the discrepancy. On Friday, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mark Blumstein ruled that Joli did not qualify to run for mayor of Miami because she did not reside in the city for at least one year prior to the qualifying period.
“The Court made the correct decision based on the law,” said City Attorney Victoria Méndez in a statement.
Joli, who represented herself in court, said she was the victim of unfair treatment and noted that the first judge assigned to the case, Oscar Rodriguez-Fonts, is Suarez’s wife’s cousin. Fonts recused himself. A second judge, Beatrice Butchko, also recused herself.
Joli tried to change the case’s venue to Louisiana because she said she could have only received a fair hearing far outside of South Florida. On Monday, she told the Miami Herald that she plans to appeal the order once it is signed.
Despite the ruling, Joli’s name remains on the ballot — the legal case had not been settled before the county elections department’s deadline for finalized ballots.
“It’s like a woman who wants to get a divorce when her husband has already died,” Joli added.
After Blumstein’s ruling, votes cast for Joli will not count.
This story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Judge Oscar Rodriguez-Fonts’ name. The incorrect spelling was taken from a court filing by Mayra Joli, who represented herself in court.
This story was originally published October 18, 2021 6:27 PM.
