Coral Gables voters choose Tuesday, Nov. 3, between incumbent Commissioner Melissa Castro and challenger Nestor Menendez in a commission race marked by a wide fundraising gap.

Menendez has raised $147,370 to Castro's $24,736, as first reported by Political Cortadito, citing campaign finance reports. That is nearly six times as much money.

The gap widens further when counting spending by Mayor Vince Lago's political action committee, Coral Gables First, which has sent text messages attacking Castro, Political Cortadito reported. Including the PAC's roughly $178,000 in spending on the race, Political Cortadito calculated the overall money advantage at about 14 to 1.

Consulting firm's payday

Between Oct. 20 and 29, Lago's campaign, Coral Gables First and Menendez's campaign paid a combined approximately $186,471 to Big Tuesday Media, a Miami political consulting firm headed by Jorge Bustamante, Political Cortadito reported. The firm handled mailers, text messages, digital advertising, research, canvassing and video production.

Lago's campaign and the PAC alone spent $182,664 in that 10-day stretch, according to a report filed Oct. 29.

In all, Big Tuesday has collected $353,508 from the three political accounts, Political Cortadito reported.

"It's a war machine against me," Castro told Political Cortadito. "I think it's going to backfire."

The candidates

Menendez, an attorney and University of Miami law graduate, served on the city's Planning and Zoning Board and Charter Review Committee. He opened his campaign in January with a $30,500 haul, according to Florida Politics. On his campaign website, he said he is running "with a clear mission: restore civility at City Hall, put families and residents first …"

Castro won her commission seat in April 2023. During a September commission meeting, Lago told Castro she was not running against him but against Menendez, whom he hoped everyone in the community would vote for, Political Cortadito reported.

The shared donors between Menendez's campaign and Lago's political accounts do not by themselves establish coordination. But Political Cortadito reported significant crossover, including developer interests that contributed to both.

Polls close Tuesday evening.