‘Mr. Miami Marvin’ challenges Alex Díaz de la Portilla in Miami City Commission race

As the dust settles after a lengthy redistricting legal battle that had excluded the only challenger in the Miami City Commission District 1 race, another candidate has announced plans to unseat incumbent Alex Díaz de la Portilla.

Marvin Tapia, who is chairman of Miami-Dade County’s Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board and spokesman for Little Havana’s monthly street festival, Viernes Culturales, opened a campaign account Thursday.

“I want to be an advocate for the residents of Miami that I don’t feel we’ve ever had: someone that’s fighting in our corner, someone that’s from the community, someone that has lived here, that is financially invested, that has raised a family and is ready to really bring about a very positive change for our political landscape,” said Tapia, 36.

Tapia’s announcement lands two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court approved Miami’s voting map. The finalized version excluded the residence of candidate Miguel Gabela, who was then the only person to challenge Díaz de la Portilla in the 2023 election. Gabela, who is suing the city over the issue, now tells the Herald that he moved into the district shortly before the Supreme Court’s decision, and that he believes he is eligible for the race.

Tapia, who has not held elected office before, said he was encouraged to run by “key leaders and activists,” but declined to provide specifics. “If there wasn’t an overwhelming dissatisfaction with de la Portilla across District 1,” he said, “I wouldn’t be running, and there wouldn’t be a need for me to run.”

He seeks to join the City Commission at a turbulent time. Mayor Francis Suarez, who suspended his longshot presidential campaign Tuesday, is currently the subject of an FBI investigation for $10,000 monthly payments he received from embattled developer Rishi Kapoor. And District 3 Commissioner Joe Carollo was recently hit with a $63.5 million verdict in the lawsuit brought by businessmen Bill Fuller and Martin Pinilla.

Tapia, who goes by the name @MrMiamiMarvin on social media, is also a shareholder of The Salty Donut. He said the major issues facing his district are gentrification and over-development. Tapia was born in Colombia but moved to Miami when he was 2 — an experience that informed his decision to run for office.

“I know that my residents can relate to me as well through my story, where, as immigrants, we were able to come here, make something of ourselves, work hard,” Tapia said. “And now I’m going to hopefully be a voice for them in City Hall so that they don’t feel like everyone is against them, and all their hard work is for nothing.”

Update: After the publication of this article, Gabela told the Herald that he moved into the district shortly before the Supreme Court’s decision.