Attorney Luis de la Cruz, a Key Biscayne resident for more than 50 years, announced he will run for Village Council in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 election, making him the first declared candidate for one of three open seats.
De la Cruz, known locally as "Lucho," posted his intentions on the Key Biscayne Environment chat line on Monday, Aug. 3, and confirmed the run in an interview with Islander News published Thursday, Aug. 6. He previously served on the Council from 2014 to 2018 under then-Mayor Mayra P. Lindsay and Vice Mayor Frank Caplan.
His return centers on a grievance he first raised in 2014: the island's stormwater system. In his first month on the Council that year, de la Cruz told the Village Manager he suspected malpractice in the system's construction. A subsequent survey found more than 75 percent of the island's catch basins were non-functional.
"They had not maintained them," de la Cruz told Islander News. "The outfalls weren't working properly because the water wasn't getting there, nor were the gravity wells. It was horrible."
Engineering firm GIT produced a stormwater master plan in 2015 identifying fixes, but de la Cruz said the plan was shelved after he left the Council in 2018. He re-engaged when the Village revived the issue under what he calls a competing AECOM proposal, which was the subject of a special Council meeting on April 22.
The stormwater fight will share the Nov. 3 ballot with the Council race. On July 17, the Council unanimously approved referendum language requiring a public vote before any stormwater project exceeding $50 million over three fiscal years can proceed. The Key Biscayne Neighbors Association collected 913 verified signatures in 44 days to force the question.
De la Cruz said Brett Moss, who is running unopposed for mayor, was a deciding factor. He considered running for mayor himself but deferred to Moss, a close friend.
Beyond stormwater, de la Cruz's platform calls for restoring the Council's role as policy-setter rather than deferring to Village Management. In his Aug. 3 announcement, he wrote that the Council has too often stepped back from its responsibility to set policy and pledged to hold regular open office hours if elected.
The three seats up in November belong to councilmembers Oscar Sardiñas and Fernando Vazquez, both eligible to run again, and Ed London, who is termed out after two four-year terms. No other candidates have declared.
How to qualify
The qualifying window opens at noon Monday, Aug. 10, and closes at noon Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Village Clerk's office. Candidates must have lived in Key Biscayne for at least one year. The filing fee is $100.
