Oscar Puig wins Doral city council seat in runoff election

Oscar Puig will be the next Doral council member after he defeated Juan Carlos Esquivel in Tuesday’s runoff election to fill Seat 3 on the city council.

Puig, a 53-year-old real estate agent and longtime civic activist, carried the endorsement of the entire Doral council, led by Mayor Juan Carlos “JC” Bermudez. Bermudez won reelection himself in November.

Esquivel, 54, a logistics professional, cast himself as an independent voice who would balance a commission.

Puig and Esquivel won the most votes in the Nov. 3 election, but neither captured the 50% plus one to win outright. Puig led the three-person race with about 44% while Esquivel won about 33%.

On Tuesday, Puig won office with about 68% of the vote. He will join the city’s five-member council to vote on zoning decisions, the property tax rate, the municipal trolley service and the overall strategy for development in the growing suburban Miami-Dade city.

Puig said the first thing he plans to do as an elected council member is attend a Wednesday morning food distribution in Doral. He then plans to meet with various directors in city hall to get caught up on the city’s needs.

He hopes to focus on helping small businesses with permitting but also with creative ways to attract customers and keep economic activity up.

“I’m another set of eyes that hasn’t been elected before,” he said Tuesday night. “I believe we have some room for improvement.”

Puig moved to Doral in 2000 with his wife, Deidre, and their children, Patrick and Diego. He is one of the founders of the city, and served on the inaugural Doral Community Council. Puig has also served on the city’s Economic Advisory Board, the Charter Review Committee and the Parks and Recreation Board.

Puig is also the state director of the Florida Association of Realtors.

The Doral runoff marked the final election in 2020 for an elected office among Miami-Dade County’s municipalities.