In three races for Miami Beach commissioner seats, the real estate industry has gravitated toward two candidates in particular: Andres Asion and Marcella Novela.
Asion is running against Tanya Katzoff Bhatt for Group IV commissioner. Joe Magazine and Novela are running for Group VI. Mitch Novick and David Suarez are running for Group V. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Developers Greg Mirmelli, Jeffrey Berkowitz, Victor Ballestas, Alex Sapir, Michael Stern, Michael Simkins, Mathieu Massa and Avra Jain are among contributors to candidates, according to The Real Deal’s analysis of campaign finance records.
Asion, broker and owner of Miami Real Estate Group, has outraised everyone else, with more than $175,000 in his war chest, excluding money donated to political action committees. Novela’s campaign has collected more than $110,000.
Here’s a look at the candidates who raised the most money from real estate players.
Andres Asion
Asion has raised tens of thousands of dollars from real estate brokers, developers and investors. Companies tied to Mirmelli donated $10,000 to his campaign.
Entities managed by Berkowitz, a commercial developer and head of Berkowitz Development Group, wrote three checks to Asion totaling $2,500.
Top brokers Dina Goldentayer of Douglas Elliman ($1,000), Dora Puig of Luxe Living Realty ($1,000), Coldwell Banker’s The Jills Zeder Group ($250), Alicia Cervera Lamadrid ($1,000) and other members of the Cervera Real Estate family (another $500), Phil Gutman ($1,000) and Jay Philip Parker ($500) of Douglas Elliman, and Compass agent Farid Moussallem ($500) all contributed to Asion.
Builder Luis Bosch, Nancy Karp of Kobi Karp Architecture and Interior Design, investor Rony Seikaly, State Street Realty EVP Frank Trelles, and Florida East Coast Realty developer Austin Hollo each donated $500.
Victor Ballestas, a principal at Integra Investments, and his wife Beatriz each contributed $1,000. Vanessa Ballestas Stabile, who is married to Integra principal Nelson Stabile and is Victor’s sister, donated another $1,000.
Tanya Katzoff Bhatt
Katzoff Bhatt, who is vice chair of the Miami Beach Planning Board, collected $250 contributions each from Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty agents Nelson Gonzalez and Esther Percal. She also raised $4,000 from entities managed by Fredric and Aaron Karlton of Karlton Investment Group. Saul Gross, Kareem Brantley and Alexandra Peters each gave $1,000 to Katzoff Bhatt’s campaign.
David Wallack, CEO of Mango’s Tropical Cafe, and companies tied to Mango’s contributed $4,000. Wallack also gave $2,000 to Suarez’s campaign.
Ronnie Issenberg, a broker at Marcus & Millichap, who was also active in the mayor’s race, contributed $500 to Katzoff Bhatt.
Marcella Novela
Novela, an art adviser and curator who is married to developer Ricardo Dunin, raised money from Parker, CEO of Douglas Elliman Florida ($500); developer Mikael Hamaoui and his wife, Ashley Spitz Hamaoui ($500); Fortune International Group and other companies managed by Edgardo and Ana Cristina Defortuna ($5,000); developer Chaim Cahane’s wife, Riva ($500); and others.
Hospitality mogul David Grutman, his wife Isabela Rangel Grutman, and Grutman’s chief of staff, Max Pallot, each gave $1,000. Simkins, Avra Jain, Compass broker Ida Schwartz, Moishe Popack and Yaffa Popack also each donated $1,000.
Joe Magazine
Magazine, who previously worked for Deutsche Bank and Barclays Investment Bank, secured $1,000 from Stern and $1,000 from Simkins. Saul Gross, Ralph Choeff and Erik Nissani each made smaller contributions.
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