Miguel “Skip” Quintero wants residents of Miami-Dade County Commission District 2 to have more than a voice in how their community develops. He wants them to have ownership.
Quintero, a flying trapeze coach and small-business owner, is challenging incumbent Commissioner Marleine Bastien for the District 2 seat. During an interview on the Can We Talk Podcast powered by Hy-Lo News, Quintero outlined an ambitious platform centered on community wealth, affordable housing, government transparency and locally controlled development.
“I didn’t plan on being a politician,” Quintero said. “I did it out of necessity.”
Quintero said his decision to run was influenced by a yearslong dispute with Miami-Dade County over his home-based flying trapeze business. He maintains that his business operates legally under county standards, but said code enforcement placed a lien on his home and accused him of operating illegally.
“They tout that they help small businesses, and yet they’ve done nothing for me except tell me that I can’t have it,” Quintero said. “This is my lifestyle. This is my art. And I was happy not being a politician. But if you’re going to take away my lifestyle, then I’m coming for you.”
Quintero believes the county is overregulated and too dependent on citations and fines. He said residents should not feel pressured to report their neighbors to code enforcement as a way of resolving community problems.
“We’re almost encouraged to tattletale on our neighbors, and that’s not the solution,” he said. “I feel like we’re just overregulated and we’re overtaxed.”
At the center of Quintero’s campaign is a proposal to create a community development financial institution that would help District 2 residents collectively invest in and own new developments within the district. Under his vision, residents would help decide what is built, which businesses are brought into the community and how those developments operate.
“All new construction in District 2 must be owned by residents of District 2,” Quintero said. “That’s going to help combat gentrification because who’s going to want to leave when they have that gig?”
Quintero said community ownership could create jobs closer to residents’ homes, keep more money circulating within the district and give residents greater influence over wages, rents and commercial development.
“We need more control. We need more transparency and we need ownership,” he said. “We need to combat gentrification in our community.”
Quintero repeatedly made one bold promise during the interview: If elected, he wants to make District 2 residents wealthy.
“My goal is to make every resident in District 2 rich, not just getting by,” he said. “No, I’m talking about rich.”
He compared his vision to the economic model associated with Tulsa’s historic Greenwood District, commonly known as Black Wall Street. Quintero said District 2’s predominantly Black and Brown communities should invest in themselves and build institutions capable of financing local businesses and development.
“The Black community has been told to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, yet we’ve tied their hands behind their back in this country,” Quintero said. “We’re going to recreate Black Wall Street, and we’re going to invest into ourselves.”
Quintero also supports expanding opportunities for home-based businesses. He said allowing residents to build a clientele from home could lower the cost of starting a business and give entrepreneurs time to determine whether their ideas are sustainable.
“If you’re not a nuisance to your neighbors, then it’s really nobody else’s business,” he said. “We need to promote entrepreneurship, and that’s one way to do it — to push home-based businesses and allow for these things.”
Housing affordability is another major component of Quintero’s platform. He proposed providing rebates to renters so they can receive relief similar to the benefits homeowners may receive through homestead property tax exemptions.
“Homeowners are going to get a reduction in their taxes. But what about those who are renting?” Quintero asked. “They’re Americans, too. They belong to this community as well.”
Quintero said renters could establish their eligibility through leases, utility bills or other documentation proving they live in the district. The proposal would require support from other county commissioners, and Quintero suggested District 2 could serve as the location for a pilot program.
He also wants the county to declare a housing emergency with greater authority behind it, giving commissioners more flexibility to address affordability within their individual districts.
“A housing crisis has to be declared — and one with teeth,” Quintero said.
Quintero pointed to junkyards within District 2 as land that could potentially be redeveloped for housing. He raised concerns about fires, environmental contamination and what he described as an insufficient number of jobs coming from those properties. He said any redevelopment would require environmental cleanup and fair compensation for property owners.
“District 2 has been taken advantage of for far too long,” he said. “It’s time to have a representative that speaks the truth and says no more.”
On transportation, Quintero said expanding rail should remain a priority for Miami-Dade County. He also expressed interest in electric autonomous vehicles, ride-share services and jitneys that could connect residents to rail stations and complete the “last mile” of their trips.
“Rail is a must,” Quintero said. “It is expensive, but worth it in the long run.”
Government transparency would be another defining feature of a Quintero administration. He said he would voluntarily place cameras in his office and livestream much of his work so residents could see who he meets with, submit questions and follow county decisions.
Private and sensitive conversations would not be broadcast, he said, but residents would receive general reports about the issues discussed and the steps being taken to address them.
“The power is not mine,” Quintero said. “I’m here to represent and fight like hell. The power is the community.”
Quintero said he would also collaborate with independent media outlets and local podcasters to document his work and make county government more accessible to residents who cannot visit his office.
“I have to be accessible, and I have to be accessible every day,” he said. “You can call and say, ‘This is my problem. What are you going to do to fix it?’ It’s my job to fix it, and I believe that I can.”
Quintero’s ties to the district include family connections to Carroll City, now part of Miami Gardens. He said his father attended Miami Carol City Senior High School, while his mother attended Miami Central Senior High School and has worked at Dade Christian School for approximately 40 years.
When asked what separates him from the other candidates in the race, Quintero returned to his central message of wealth, transparency and community control.
“It’s time to have leadership that’s going to be transparent and relinquish control,” he said. “It’s time to see our community, this Black and Brown community, predominantly Black community, thrive. Let’s show the world what happens when we work together.”
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