Miami-Dade Mayor hires ex-challenger for economic development role

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava just hired an outspoken critic and former challenger to boost county efforts on entrepreneurship and economic mobility.

Ex-Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid, a Republican and small-business owner, started this week as a senior adviser on economic opportunity to Levine Cava, a Democrat.

The move drew cheers for bipartisanship.

Conservative influencer Alex Otaola, who placed third behind Cid in last year’s Mayor’s race, isn’t a fan, calling it a ploy “to consolidate Levine Cava’s power” and weaken him politically.

Levine Cava waved off Otaola’s accusation. Cid’s acquisition, she said, is the latest of several cross-aisle partnerships.

– Jesse Scheckner, Florida Politics