Michael Grieco Drops Bid To Become Miami Beach's Next Mayor

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Assuring his supporters, "this is not a day of mourning," Michael Grieco dropped out of the Miami Beach mayoral race on Monday amid recent questions over fundraising activities. The Miami Beach commissioner said he will now focus on seeking re-election to his seat. Commission candidate Josh Levy dropped out of the race hours later, citing Grieco's announcement.

"Rather than ask the voters to consider my experience in the all-important race for Miami Beach mayor this year, I will instead dedicate my candidacy to communicating my record of accomplishments and proven track record of improving our residents' quality of life," said Grieco surrounded by supporters in a South Beach park. (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.)

Grieco read a brief statement to reporters and took no questions. He met with his disappointed supporters informally about a block away.

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"Just so you know, all of those same people that were trying to take me down before, they're not going to stop," he told the gaggle of supporters as a light rain fell. "I said 'no' to some of the biggest special interests in the city and they're not going to stop. It is what it is. This is not a day of mourning. It's a day of moving forward."

While the former state prosecutor said he will focus on winning re-election, he hinted that he may make another mayoral run in the future.

"Four more years," he said.

Minutes later, Grieco's best known opponent, Dan Gelber, a former Florida Representative, issued a statement in which he pledged to make no big changes to his campaign.

Privately, his camp acknowledged that Gelber now enjoys the best name recognition among the three remaining candidates, including Kenneth R. Bereski II, who filed his papers on July 27 and had not yet reported any contributions. The other candidate is Daniel Kahn, who filed in April, but has reported contributions of only $5,728.

In contrast, Grieco had raised $535,269 while Gelber has raised $446,584.

"Nothing changes for us as our campaign continues to work hard every day to earn the trust and support of Miami Beach residents," Gelber said in his statement.

Grieco supporter Michael DeFilippi told Patch that he will continue to support Grieco in his bid for re-election.

"I would have loved to see him as mayor," he explained. "I'm an environmental activist here so I've worked closely with him on a lot of environmental issues. From that perspective, it would have been great to see him as mayor because I know he would have pushed the envelope on a lot of that stuff."

Current Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine is reportedly eyeing a gubernatorial run to succeed Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

Grieco will now focus on his Group 2 commission seat. With Levy's departure from the race, Grieco faces four other opponents: Mohammed R. Islam, Robert C. Lansburgh, Mark G. Samuelian and Rafael A. Velasquez. Samuelian had been the best funded, listing contributions of $170,747 as compared to $62,940 for Lansburgh, $31,476 for Velasquez and no contributions for Islam.

Levy, who had raised $76,077, said he never intended to take on the incumbent.

"Therefore, given today’s news from Commissioner Grieco, I believe the best path forward for me is to suspend my campaign today," he said. "I do plan to stay actively engaged in our community and to continue to be a voice in the direction we move our city. I believe it’s a critical time for our community and the best way to shape our future is to be active residents."

Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Grieco consoles supporters on Monday after his official announcement. Photo by Paul Scicchitano.