Raquel Regalado Gets a Rematch With Cindy Lerner in District 7

by Douglas Hanks; Originally Published in the Miami Herald under the headline “With zero ballots cast, three Miami-Dade commissioners get four more years in office” | June 11, 2024

Commissioner Raquel Regalado, 49, barely won her District 7 seat in 2020, and the second-place finisher in that race is back to try again.

Raquel Regalado speaks during the final Miami-Dade budget hearing before a vote on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, at the Stephen P. Clark Center in Downtown Miami. Alie Skowronski askowronski@miamiherald.com

Cindy Lerner, 71, who has served as Pinecrest mayor and as a Democratic member of the Florida House, lost to Regalado by 1,301 votes when the seat covering southern Miami and its adjoining suburbs was vacated by a term-limited Xavier Suarez.

Cindy Lerner, a former Pinecrest mayor, is a candidate for District 7 on the Miami-Dade County Commission this year. Al Diaz, Miami Herald File

Regalado, a former school board member, is also being challenged by Richard Praschnik, 28, a police officer with the county school system who also holds an elected seat on the Kendall Community Council zoning board.

Richard Praschnik is a candidate for the District 7 seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission. Courtesy of the Praschnik campaign