Doral council candidate faces residency challenge, accuses mayor of conspiracy

Doral voters will have a chance to change the direction of the City Council this election cycle, filling a Seat 3 vacancy with a future council person who could become the swing vote.

The election of a new council member to replace Vice Mayor Oscar Puig-Corve may either maintain the political turmoil between Mayor Christi Fraga on the five-member council or help her regain control.

Now, one of the candidates for the seat faces a residency challenge, potentially making it easier for the mayor to secure a reliable majority on the council.

Irina Vilarino, one of three candidates running for the seat, is facing questions about her place of residency following a complaint received by the city clerk from Doral Chamber of Commerce CEO Emmanuel “Manny” Sarmiento. He provided property records, voter registration paperwork and drivers license records that show Vilarino recently lived in Pinecrest.

According to Doral’s city charter, candidates for mayor and city council must have resided in the city for at least two years prior to qualifying for the office, a requirement that some consider excessive. Sarmiento has alleged that Vilarino wasn’t living in Doral as of July 2022. The qualifying period for this year’s election ended July 12.

If a judge finds merit in the challenge, filed on July 12, Vilarino would be disqualified. The city clerk is now obligated to take Sarmiento’s complaint to court to see if the presented evidence is sufficient to disqualify Vilarino.

On the day the challenge was submitted, Vilarino, 48, alleged that Fraga was “conspiring” to remove her from the ballot in a response to Sarmiento’s complaint posted on social media website X, formerly known as Twitter.

Fraga dismissed the accusation.

“The person who filed the complaint is a city resident who came to me as mayor, and I have an obligation to ensure that those who represent our city are transparent,” Fraga said. “We had nothing to do with it. He filed the complaint as allowed by law. The evidence is quite concerning and has considerable merit.”

Fraga’s influence has waned significantly since January, when councilwoman Maureen Porras, a former supporter, withdrew her backing due to concerns about the government’s transparency.

This shift began when Porras supported the dismissal of Doral City Manager Barbara “Barbie” Hernandez over conflict of interest allegations, aligning with Councilwoman Digna Cabral and Vice Mayor Puig-Corve. Since then, Fraga has struggled to secure council support for various proposals, including appointing a new city manager, city attorney, and imposing new restrictions on nightlife venues. Porras now holds a pivotal swing vote on the council.

Vilarino, co-owner of Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine, her family’s restaurant chain, ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida’s 26th District in 2019 but withdrew when then-Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez was endorsed for the seat by then-President Donald Trump.

Vilarino is running for Doral’s Seat 3 against Nicole Reinoso, 38, who is supported by Fraga, and Juan Carlos Esquivel, 58, who is making his third bid for a seat on the Doral council.

READ MORE: Three Doral council candidates are promising to end the polarization. Who are they?

The message that Vilarino published on her X profile accusing Fraga of intervening included a picture showing three men in the parking lot of Doral’s City Hall examining documents, after the complaint was filed. One of the people present was the mayor’s husband, Gabriel Fraga, which Vilarino claimed was no coincidence. “Politics is very dirty,” she said.

Vilarino told el Nuevo Herald that any person has the right to file a complaint or challenge a candidate’s residency, but she stated that “it is unfortunate that decisions are based on personal interests rather than merits.” She added that anti-establishment candidates like herself are often not welcomed in politics, regardless of their party.

What records show

In Vilarino’s qualification documents, she provided evidence of residency at a house located on Northwest 46th Terrace, owned by Mi Nina Bonita LLC, a company registered by Vilarino in April 2022. Sarmiento claims that Vilarino lied about her permanent residence, saying he believes she lived in Pinecrest then. Vilarino told el Nuevo Herald she used to live in Pinecrest before moving to Doral.

Vilarino claimed residence in Pinecrest with a 2023 homestead exemption. Records from the Property Appraiser show that Vilarino sold the property on June 12 for $3 million, a month before the complaint was filed.

Sarmiento presented several official documents from different entities to support his claimthat Vilarino wasn’t a Doral resident in 2022. The records include her voter registration application with a change of address from Pinecrest to Doral on March 13, 2024, and a proof of ineligibility to vote in the December 2022 runoff elections in Doral, according to a voter audit by the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections.

Additionally, Sarmiento presented traffic citations from September and October of 2022 where Vilarino’s driver’s license listed the Pinecrest address.

Sarmiento, who also filed a complaint against councilwoman Digna Cabral to the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust alleging that she exploited her position, told el Nuevo Herald that he is a concerned citizen who wants to be informed about what is happening in the city, but he dismissed any questions regarding Vilarino’s investigation.

Vilarino has been actively campaigning alongside councilwomen Porras and Cabral and has the support of Juan Carlos Bermudez, the former mayor and current Miami-Dade commissioner.

Other legal matter

Vilarino recently dealt with another legal problem.

She was arrested by the Miami-Dade Police Department on May 17 for allegedly bringing a gun through an airport security checkpoint.

According to the arrest affidavit report, Transportation Security Administration agents found a Smith & Wesson handgun with a six-round magazine and ammunition in Vilarino’s bag as she went through a checkpoint at the Miami International Airport on her way to Washington, D.C.

Vilarino was charged with carrying a concealed firearm, a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail, a maximum fine of $500 and up to six months of probation. Vilarino has pleaded not guilty. Her arraignment hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Vilarino explained to el Nuevo Herald that she always carries her gun because she is a single mother and doesn’t feel safe. She said she forgot it was in her purse before arriving at the airport.

November election

The mayoral Seat and Council Seat 1 will be on the ballot in the November election. Fraga will compete against Roxanna Garay, who has no political experience, while incumbent Councilman Rafael Pineyro will face a challenge from Ivette Gonzalez Petkovich.

Gonzalez Petkovich previously ran for Doral Council Seat 2 in 2022 but lost to Porras. In 2016, she also ran for District 103 in the Florida House of Representatives, where she was defeated by Manny Diaz Jr. Both challengers have the support of Doral’s former mayor, Juan Carlos Bermudez, who now serves as a county commissioner.