Michael Góngora running for Miami Beach mayor

BY CHRISTINA VEIGA, CVEIGA@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Miami Beach Vice Mayor Michael Góngora on Tuesday announced his long-expected candidacy for mayor.

He made the announcement to a standing-room only crowd at a joint meeting of the Miami Beach Taxpayers Association and the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club, which met at the Shelborne Resort.

“If you don’t think we can do better, vote for someone else,” Góngora told the crowd.

He will face Commissioner Jerry Libbin, who filed paperwork to run for mayor in December. Libbin, who is president of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, faces term limits unless he runs for mayor.

The mayor’s seat is wide open this election season because current Mayor Matti Herrera Bower is also term-limited out.

On Tuesday, Góngora laid out a platform of rooting out corruption, tackling the city’s unfunded pension liability, making the city more environmentally-friendly and encouraging more civility on the dais.

“My campaign is going to be about positive messages and how we can move the city forward,” Góngora said.

Qualifying for the November election doesn’t start till September.