Could Alex Diaz de la Portilla be losing his infamous political action committee?

Former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla — once a state Senate leader and the middle brother of a dynasty — may soon lose one of the last surviving pieces of his once-formidable political operation: his longtime political action committee.

According to a March notice from the Florida Division of Elections, the state has moved to cancel the registration of the committee after Diaz de la Portilla allegedly failed to respond to an earlier warning sent in February.

In classic Tallahassee bureaucrat language — dry enough to dehydrate a camel — the letter informs the former Miami commissioner that the PAC’s registration could be canceled under Florida election law because the committee apparently failed to comply with state requirements, missing deadlines for four campaign reports, and then failed to answer the state’s “Initial Notice of Intent to Cancel Registration.”

Translation: The state says it sent a warning. Nobody answered. So, the clock started kicking.

The March notice gave Diaz de la Portilla, who has had two other PACs revoked in the past, one last opportunity to request a hearing before the Florida Elections Commission. If no hearing request is filed, the state warns that a final order canceling the committee’s registration will be issued automatically.

As of now, there does not appear to be any public indication that a response was filed. Although the PAC is still listed as active on the Florida Division of Elections website.

And honestly, there’s something almost poetic about it.

This is not just any ol’ PAC. This was one of the central players in the spectacular 2023 public corruption case that temporarily brought The Dean’s political empire crashing down.

Federal and state prosecutors accused Diaz de la Portilla of using the committee as part of an elaborate scheme involving alleged straw donations, concealed campaign contributions and money laundering tied to the giveaway of a city-owned park. Investigators claimed money was routed through intermediaries and political entities to hide its true source while helping bankroll Alex’s political operation.

The allegations detonated Miami politics at the time. Diaz de la Portilla was arrested, perp-walked into the Turner Guilford Knight jail, suspended from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis and suddenly transformed from one of Miami’s most feared political tacticians into the city’s latest corruption cautionary tale.

But then came the Miami plot twist. Prosecutors abruptly dropped the criminal case after legal battles over evidence, witness issues and disputes surrounding the investigation itself. Diaz de la Portilla immediately declared total vindication and accused authorities of orchestrating a politically motivated takedown.

Then the couple that poured the $250K into the PAC under the shadowy circumstances gave him another $100,000. Just for good measure.

But even with the criminal charges gone, the PAC never escaped the cloud hanging over it. In Miami politics, committees are more than fundraising tools. They are power centers. Patronage hubs. Political weapons. They are how alliances get built, enemies get targeted and influence quietly circulates through the bloodstream of local government.

Which is why the possibility that the state may now administratively shut this one down carries a symbolism that goes beyond paperwork. It marks yet another reminder of just how dramatically Alex Diaz de la Portilla’s political universe has shrunk since the days when his operation seemed untouchable.

For years, ADLP’s political committees were among the most durable fundraising machines in Miami politics — capable of moving money, funding allies, attacking enemies and surviving scandals that would have politically vaporized lesser mortals. They were also sources of income for the brothers, paying for phone bills and fast food, travel, car rentals and cocktails.

But times change.

These days, the former commissioner is no longer dominating City Hall conversations. Instead, he seems trapped in a long political twilight zone following his dramatic 2023 arrest on public corruption charges, his suspension from office and his eventual electoral collapse. The charges were eventually dropped, but not before his political career ended.

Now even his favorite PAC appears to be wandering unattended through the Tallahassee bureaucracy like abandoned campaign signs after a runoff election.

To be fair, losing a committee registration does not mean Diaz de la Portilla is financially ruined, politically dead or legally finished. PAC cancellations happen all the time when committees become inactive or fail to keep up with compliance requirements.

Still, in Miami politics, symbols matter.

And watching the state move to shut down one of Alex’s longtime political committees feels a little like seeing the lights turned off at the end of a very long, very loud party.

This kind of independent, government watchdog reporting is crucial to transparency and democracy. And more so every day. Help shine a light on the darker corners of our community with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

Ltr to Alex Diaz de la Portilla re PAC by Political Cortadito

Could Alex Diaz de la Portilla be losing his infamous political action committee? added by Ladra on May 12, 2026
View all posts by Ladra →