Editors note: posts are being made from a cell phone with a dying battery, mostly on the road.
7:00 pm A group of sign holders at the botanical gardens sight take off like if that bird from the Flintstones just had his tail pulled.
Candidates follow suit. Gongora, Malakoff, Greigco, Abramson all hang it up for the night.
A group of young males wearing red ‘Firefighters of Miami Beach shirts’ walk with purpose away from the polling place. One of them hisses and declares: ”I wouldnt vote for any of them.”
They disappear off into the distance before we can snap a pic.
The group was holding signs for thr incumbents, but it sounded like the venom was directed to everyone.
7:04 The majority are gone. From what once was a solid brush of sign holders – where voters had to navigate a labyrinth of sign holders just to get by- is now a loose collection of stray people resembling in the middle loitering than campaigning.
7:07 Everyone is gone, better leave than get a ticket.
7:55.Still only have the absentee numbers, so here we go:
Mayor race:
Philip Levine 52.44%
Michael Gongora 36.37%
Steve Berke 9.09%
Raphael Herman 1.11%
8:20 Stop to get a snack. 7 precincts are reporting….let’s see the numbers now:
8:35 Food in hand, looks like it’s gone 11 precincts now:
Mayor race:
Philip Levine 51.78%
Michael Gongora 36.84%
Steve Berke 10.34%
Raphael Herman 1.03%
Group 1:
Mohammed Islam 3.96%
Sherry Kaplan Roberts 26.43%
Micky Steinberg 36.31%
Elsa Urquiza 33.30%
Group 2:
Dave Crystal 17.19%
Jorge Exposito 47.49%
Michael Grieco 35.32%
Group 3:
Roger Abramson 14.80%
Matti Herrera 45.65%
Joy Malakoff 39.55%
9:02
With 17 of 36 precincts reporting Levine 51.10% , Gongora 37.08%, Berke 10.81% #MiamiBeach #Elections
— Frank Maradiaga (@writerfrank) November 6, 2013
9:10
17 or 36 precincts reporting:
For Group 1:
It’s become a neck and neck race between Steinberg 36.40% and Urquiza 33.45%. So far this is how round two is going to look like.
For Group 2:
It looks like Crystal 17.44%, and Grieco 34.90% split the anti-incumbent vote. Exposito is sitting on 47.66% .Still some votes to count.
For Group 3:
Abramson is behind significantly. Bower 45.61% is getting a race from Malakoff 39.28%
9:20
With 23 of 36 precincts reporting Levine holds on to a slim enough lead to avoid a run off at 50.70% , Gongora is still hovering where he has been all night at 36.89%. Berke moved up to 11.37%
Exposito 47.03% and Bower 45.35% don’t seem to be inching any closer to 50%. Meanwhile Steinberg 36.75% and Urquiza 33.12% hold steady.
9:37
Jackson Bonds question seems to be winning handedly.
Flotsam:
Earlier it looks like the Miami Herald wasn’t allowed into Philip Levine’s victory party. The paper didn’t endorse his candidacy. He has banned journalists from press conferences before, in particular the one where he was defending his strong arming opposition writings.
The @MiamiHerald was officially not allowed entrance into Levine's watch party. #BeachElex
— jusB (@BrittnyCharity) November 6, 2013
The campaign then sent a text to the daily’s beat writers saying that it was cool for them to come by.
9:54
Coffee house is closing. On the road again.
10:05 with only 2 precincts left to report, Levine still has his over 50% at 50.47%
That might be it.
10:18
Florida statute on a recount if Levine’s win is within half a point.
” (7) If the unofficial returns reflect that a
candidate for any office was defeated or eliminated
by one-half of a percent or less of the votes cast for
such office, that a candidate for retention to a
judicial office was retained or not retained by one-half of a percent or less of the votes cast on the
question of retention, or that a measure appearing
on the ballot was approved or rejected by one-half
of a percent or less of the votes cast on such
measure, a recount shall be ordered of the votes
cast with respect to such office or measure.”
10:33
According to Herald reporter @MargauxHerrera’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/MargauxHerrera/status/397927435079286784
Gongora has thrown in the towel, but vows to stay in the thick of things. Says he ”learned an expensive .”
No doubt a stab at Levine’s spending in this election.
11ish
Business man Philip Levine has won.
All groups are heading to a run off.
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