In 2025, Miami-Dade’s mayor and county commissioners were at the center of a major money surge, as developers, contractors and political committees poured large sums into election accounts and political action committees. The cash has clustered around big-ticket projects and contracts that the commission votes on, and the totals are hard to shrug off.
An analysis of more than 1,500 campaign-finance entries found that political committees tied to the mayor and 13 commissioners raised about $6.7 million in 2025. The tally named top givers that year, including Michael Swerdlow and Swerdlow Group affiliates (about $185,000 combined), David Martin/Terra ($162,500), Transportation America ($146,000), MasTec ($145,000), GL Homes ($102,500) and emergency-management firm CDR Maguire ($90,000). The analysis also pointed to large PACs such as Anthony Rodriguez’s A Bolder Florida and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s Our Democracy, which collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in receipts and transfers in 2025, according to reporting by the Miami Herald.
Why Developers And Contractors Matter
Many of the firms on that donor list have active business in front of the county. Swerdlow Group, for instance, has pursued a no-bid workforce-housing deal tied to a county Costco site and is leading a proposed $2.6 billion Little River redevelopment that would replace public-housing parcels. Both efforts require multiple county approvals and have been the subject of recent coverage. Those overlaps help explain why watchdogs and political rivals scrutinize big donors when they appear before the commission, according to The Real Deal.
PACs, Consultants And Money Funnels
A lot of the money does not move in straight lines. Instead, it flows through political committees and the consultants who manage them. Florida Bulldog has documented how consultant Christian Ulvert chairs multiple PACs, including Our Democracy, and how transfers between committees and payments to Ulvert-linked vendors have raised questions about whether fundraising events also serve as business networking opportunities for donors. Critics quoted in that reporting say the pattern creates the appearance of a tight money network that blurs the line between politics and county contracting.
Public Records To Watch
Some of the money trail is hiding in plain sight. The Florida Division of Elections lists A Bolder Florida as an active political committee and posts campaign documents, audit responses and treasurer’s reports for anyone who wants to dig in. Journalists and residents can track upcoming campaign-treasurer reports and commission agendas to see whether donations land shortly before approvals or contract awards, starting with filings posted by the Florida Division of Elections.
The Miami Herald’s tally offers a snapshot of who backed Miami-Dade’s power players in 2025 and underscores how much is at stake when the commission weighs land deals, transit contracts and vendor agreements. Expect more attention on the numbers as 2026 filings and commission agendas roll out and as watchdogs and reporters keep tracing the money through public records.
