The Miami Lakes town council voted to approve candidate Alejandro Sanchez as the new councilman for Seat 4.
“I feel very excited to be able to represent the Town of Miami Lakes, its residents and everything that encompasses our great town,” Sanchez told The Miami Laker on Jan. 21.
Ten residents spoke in favor of Sanchez’s appointment during the council meeting that night, praising his service in the U.S. Navy, his history of volunteering in town and just being a great neighbor.
“I am one seat up there, but I represent 35,000 residents,” Sanchez said. “It’s not about me. [It’s] about the elected officials doing the right thing by our town, and that’s my goal.”
Sanchez, 40, is an associate at a commercial property group and until his appointment served on the Planning & Zoning Board, from which he will have to resign.
“I think he’s a good candidate, and I agree with my colleagues that he should be appointed,” Mayor Josh Dieguez said.
Dieguez nominated Sanchez to be his replacement for Seat 4. Sanchez will fulfill the two years that remain of Dieguez’s council term.
Dieguez resigned from his council seat to run for mayor and was elected to that office on Nov. 26, 2024, after a runoff election against former Vice Mayor Tony Fernandez.
Dieguez, Vice Mayor Bryan Morera and council members Steven Herzberg and Juan Carlos Fernandez voted to appoint Sanchez; council members Ray Garcia and Angelo Cuadra Garcia voted against him.
Cuadra Garcia preferred the appointee be someone who previously served on the council and if not possible, holding a special election. Garcia said he wanted a special election to include voters in the process.
At a Dec. 23 sunshine meeting, Dieguez discussed with the council the eight candidates who applied for the seat.
The top two choices were Sanchez and lawyer Nayib Hassan, who ran for a council seat in 2016 but didn’t win.
Hassan and other applicants were discussed again by the council before the majority ultimately voted for Sanchez, who immediately took the oath of office and his seat on the dais.
The council’s decision avoided the need for a special election, which can be costly and often have low voter turnout.
The April 9, 2024 race for Seat 6 drew 10.5% of voters and cost $37,950; the April 30 runoff won by Bryan Morera drew 10.4% of voters and cost $36,312, the town said.
Sanchez has served the town in various capacities since the 2010s.
In addition to the Planning & Zoning Board, he volunteered on the Town Manager Selection Committee and with the Neighborhood Improvement Committee.
A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Sanchez has chaired the Veterans Committee, served as Grand Marshal for the 2014 Veterans Day Parade and was named Volunteer Veteran of the Year in 2016.
After his appointment, Sanchez posted on Facebook a page for constituents to keep up with town news.
A second, formal swearing in ceremony will be held prior to the Feb. 18 council meeting.