Tony Diaz goes on offensive in HD 113 with "Fishy Frank" Lago narrative

Frank Lago’s past baggage is hard to leave behind

In the three-way Republican primary for Florida House District 113, one candidate isn’t waiting around to define one of his opponents as a questionable character, unworthy of representing the community.

Small business owner and urban farmer Tony Diaz has rolled out a full-on digital opposition campaign against fellow candidate Frank Lago, complete with a nickname that’s hard to forget: “Fishy Frank.”

Yes, it’s cheeky. Yes, it’s a little over the top. But it’s also on point and effective.

Because here’s the thing: A lot of voters in District 113 don’t know Lago. His government experience hasn’t been rooted in the district, but rather in places like Hialeah and Sweetwater — including a stint as chief of staff to former Sweetwater Mayor Manny “Maraña Maroño, who later found himself arrested on bribery charges and was sentenced to 40 months in prison.

That’s not just the kind of background that tends to surface in campaigns. That’s front-of-the-mailer material. Diaz — who already brought up Lago’s heavy baggage in a mailer — is just choosing to surface it early. And loudly.

The site reads like opposition research repackaged for the internet age — less policy brief, more branding exercise. But beneath the nickname and the tone, the strategy is pretty straightforward: define your opponent to voters before he gets the chance to define himself.

And in a down-ballot race where name recognition is everything, that matters.

“Wherever Fishy Frank goes, trouble follows,” the page starts. And then you can read about the candidate that, for whatever reason, his predecessor, Miami-Dade Commissioner Vicki Lopez, is endorsing.

“Frank Lago presents himself as a public servant. But his record tells a different story — one of questionable residency claims, political opportunism, and close ties to figures later convicted of corruption,” it says, before listing a CV that no politician wants:

Former Chief of Staff to Manny Maroño
Deep ties in Hialeah political circles
Connected to figures later convicted of fraud
Now residing on Brickell Key
Member of Brickell Key Master Association Board

The Brickell Key thing seems out of place. It’s not necessary bad, unless you feel that all homeowners associations are evil, like Diaz does. But it is also interesting to note that he has owned the Brickell Key unit since 2022. So, even if he lives there, he’s definitely new to the area.

And his politics is as far from Miami as you can get.

Lago was chief of staff to Sweetwater Mayor Maroño until he resigned in 2011 to run for Hialeah council. Maroño wasn’t arrested on federal bribery charges — for which he was later sentenced to 40 month — until 2013, But dime con quien andas y te dire quien eres. He lost the Hialeah race to Paul “Pablito” Hernandez in the runoff, 59-41%.

*This is an AI-created image of former Sweetwater Mayor Manny Maroño and Frank Lago*

In a social media video produced with AI, Diaz says, “A chief of staff alway knows what’s going on. So is Fishy Frank an accomplice, or is Fishy Frank an idiot?”

On his own very lame website, Lago boasts about playing a key role in creating the University City District in Sweetwater, also known as those beehive student housing units across 8th Street from FIU. “Frank helped design and implement the long-term vision that expanded the city’s tax base and development potential.” So, he’s development minded. That makes sense because of the nod from Lopez, author of the controversial and pretty much hated Live Local Act.

There’s also the little detail that Lago works in real estate, “advising and consulting across several asset classes, including land and development for workforce and affordable housing.”

Is anybody else hearing alarms in their head?

Maybe Diaz — whose whole platform is built on “Florida is not for sale” — will put out something about that conflict of interest next.

Of course, there’s always a balance. Go too hard, too fast, and you risk looking like you’re trying to win the race before it starts. But wait too long, and someone else defines the narrative for you.

Diaz, clearly, is not waiting.

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Tony Diaz goes on offensive in HD 113 with “Fishy Frank” Lago narrative added by Ladra on March 27, 2026
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