From the “We Can’t Make This Up” files, here’s another popcorn-worthy moment on the 2026 North Miami Beach campaign trail.
Candidate Ariel Vasquez has been providing some much needed comic relief on his Facebook page since he first threw his hat in the ring and run for office.
We previously reported on his failed petition to divide North Miami Beach into “voting districts” for the purpose of encouraging a race and class war in a city where the residents have always enjoyed a united community.
We also exposed that the hidden agenda of this so-called Stronger NMB political committee was to eliminate term limits that the voters of North Miami Beach voted for in a 2016 Special Election.
Luckily, Ariel’s plan went 🔥 Down in flames! 🔥
Ariel’s latest stunt is in the form of a Facebook Live video of his good friend, Rey Martinez, who is standing on a corner he says is located at “1496 NE 185 Street” (a/k/a Miami Gardens Drive), clutching his pearls, and complaining about the flooding after a rainstorm.
“I want you to see where your taxpayer money is going,” Rey earnestly opined.
However, unbeknownst to Rey Martinez, Rocket Scientist Extraordinaire, he was not standing within the city limits of North Miami Beach.
According to the website of the Property Appraiser of Miami-Dade County, this commercial parcel of land is located in …
UNINCORPORATED MIAMI-DADE COUNTY!
This blogger got such a kick out of the inherent stupidity of Ariel Vasquez and his crony, I just had to post this snarky comment on his Facebook page.
In the meantime, pop some corn and watch the hilarity!
Yeah, sometimes these blogs just write themselves.
Stephanie
He always has this goofy smile on his face but everything that comes out of his mouth shows his ignorance. He has his buddy Rey Martinez wearing a shirt in support of Ariel yet Rey doesn’t live in the City of North Miami Beach. How exactly will he be supporting him? He can’t vote for him but he’s telling us, NMB residents, who to vote for?
Well, as we are prone to say, “So many idiots, so little time.”
Dear Stephanie
I appreciate you putting out there information to clear up any misinformation that was put out there in error and I personally take full responsibility for that .
However two wrong does not make it right . There is a difference between an idiot and being ignorant .
Im sure we have all been guilty of one or the other at one time or another.
The truth is that we all fall short of God’s perfection . But the goal should be to strive to be better human beings , Rather than insulting one another .
We as citizens of metro – Dade or North Miami Beach should be in the business of looking out for the best interest of our community and educate businesses and property owners . We don’t have to be cynical or arrogant in addressing matters that affect the whole community
We can work together to this city to be proud of . Its sad when you hear the bad reputation this city has and this is nothing new as you well know . You dont have to lift up the top of a sewer to know that it stinks .
Thank you so much for the info .
Kind regards
Rey martinez
I still don’t hear an apology from someone who wants to blame North Miami Beach City officials for something they are not even responsible for.
I realize you and Ariel are doing your best to put NMB in the worst possible light so that he can be the “savior” of the residents. I will always call out that type of despicable behavior and hypocrisy.
And yes, two wrongs don’t make anything right. However, you should know that you are wrong, and I am always right.
So there’s that.
Mr. Martinez, perhaps Mr. Vasquez should take down the video that clearly is not an NMB concern, rather than pound his chest over it, as another commenter made reference to.
The fact that Vasquez chose to put this on his own social media page, with you as the speaker, speaking with such certainty about something you are completely wrong about, is laughable. If you are going to amplify something publicly, particularly as a candidate for office, you might want to make sure you actually know what you are talking about before doing so.
As for the blogger, knowing how she writes, with grit, sarcasm, and very little patience for clueless, reckless and most of all, corrupt public officials and candidates, none of her sharp tongue should come as a surprise. For her, calling out grifters and wannabes is something many residents appreciate. If you put something out publicly that is inaccurate, you should probably expect someone to call you out on it.
There is also a video of Vasquez in Eastern Shores, the neighborhood he once again misrepresents when talking about how “great” it is and suggesting that it receives special treatment when it comes to sewers, as though Eastern Shores has them because the neighborhood somehow received special treatment. That is simply not the case.
Eastern Shores was developed by the developer in the mid-1950s, and the sewer infrastructure was put in by the developer, not the City. The reason it was developed that way was because of the neighborhood’s location on the water and the fact that it was developed at sea level. There is nothing mysterious or preferential about it.
Perhaps Mr. Vasquez should take a drive through Eastern Shores and look at the City-owned property and public areas, rather than focusing on private property, and then tell us how “great” he thinks the City is doing there. The public areas look much like the rest of North Miami Beach, neglected and forgotten.
That is the responsibility of the entire City Commission, including the Mayor, who Mr. Vasquez supports. This is not something that can be blamed on one particular administration. The City has looked this way through administration after administration for the last two decades or more.
This type of sensationalizing is the last thing we need in the City of North Miami Beach. Misinforming residents to gain votes by relying on the uninformed is neither responsible nor, for someone who presents himself as a man of faith, particularly righteous or pious.
Stephanie, it gets worse. The address Ariel’s lacky is reporting from is not only in the County, and on private property, the property is located on Miami Gardens Drive, which is a STATE ROAD. This means the paving and DRAINAGE of the roadway is the responsibility of FDOT, not NMB. Additionally, unless water is flowing off of Miami Gardens Drive onto the private property, it is the responsibility of the property owner to drain their own parking lot. Over the years many drainage systems on private property fail due to lack of regular maintenance. They become clogged with trash and sediment and the result is flooded parking lots. but Ariel could not figure that out. Its too complicated for his brain to comprehend.
His lackey, Ray Martinez, goes on to mis-state the day of his video (9/8/26), but the address he stated (170th St and West Dixie Highway) where a similar flood has occurred is a highway owned by Miami Dade County which is responsible for the drainage of that highway as well. Not NMB.
The scary thing is that the mayor appointed Ariel to the City’s Public Utilities Commission where he was supposed to demonstrate some knowledge of the City’s infrastructure and certainly be aware of where it is located. Another example of a corrupt mayor and his new partner in crime as evidenced by Ariel’s push for the mayors term limit reset by his recent failed charter petition.
Thank you for that information! This needs to get out to all the voters in North Miami Beach so they know the dirty tricks the alleged “pastor” will play just to win an election.
So much for his being the self-proclaimed “Man of God.”
The hypocrisy is so gross.
Ariel Vazquez … another opportunist filling the request of Michael Joseph to run for office so that Michael can continue on with his corrupt voting record. Unfortunately,the people Michael anoints to run for office are not that smart or are as corrupt as he is
In Ariel’s case, he’s not that smart. In the case of the other one, she’s just plain bad.
I appreciate your feedback concerning the property on Miami Gardens and NE 15 Ave
Which happens to be minutes from the boarder line of North Miami Beach , My concern is that the flooding , in that particular area serves the needs of many of the residents of North Miami Beach and we should not be ignorant or unaware of that fact
Many residents use that Walgreens as well as other businesses in that area not only for medical purpose but also for personal necessities.
. The NMB government has a responsibility to the residents who livein that area .
Why do we have to wait to things to get worst before we decide for it to get better .
It never seems to amaze me that we are creatures
of habits and North Miami Beach has a history of it . I am not making this up ! Do your homework
To say its not North Miami Beach responsibility seems , in my humble opinion , Pure selfishness !
What ever happened to one for all and all for one .
As long as it doesn’t affect you personally I guess your ok with it .
Im sorry ! I was taught differently , Im old school
People are tired of the same old political establishment. The good old boy system .
I don’t care if your a Republican or Democrat .
The people are tired of the same old ! Same old
We can see what’s happening in many of the major cities .
Im originally from NYC, I personally saw and lived the experience in the South Bronx , First
hand !
Now with that being said .Im not saying that the same thing is happening to the City of Noth Miami Beach , But I do see alot o alot of negligence , and you can’t hide that under the carpet ! Im just saying ! Its easier to cast the blame on the County
and say its there responsibility , What ever happened to taking the initiative or holding people accountable Politicians have a responsibility and a duty to look out for the betterment of the residents they represent and if they can’t it do that they havev no business being in office.
We should not be in the business of looking out for your own benefits , But what is truly beneficial for the city and it’s residents . That is our first responsibility .
Integrity and character is the first thing that needs to be restored . I appreciate the opportunity for allowing me to express my deepest and humble opinion .
Kind regards
Rey Martinez
It’s astounding how little you know about how government actually works. The real property, including the building and its parking lot, is owned and managed by the private entity in which title is held.
Furthermore, it is located in Unincorporated Miami-Dade County, NOT North Miami Beach.
Furthermore, Miami Gardens Drive, which is officially named State Road 860, and is managed by the Florida Department of Transportation, NOT North Miami Beach.
I don’t care where you are from, what political party you belong to, or what your personal, albeit uninformed, opinion is of who is responsible for the alleged flooding of that parcel of land.
It is NOT the responsibility of the City of North Miami Beach or its elected officials or its administration no matter how much you want to blame them so Ariel can stupidly claim that the city is being mismanaged. The complete ignorance of the both of you is glaring and hilarious at the same time.
You can cry all the crocodile tears you want, but FACTS trump your feelings all day, every day, and for the rest of eternity.
You were trying to blame the City for not taking responsibility for the flooding issue at that shopping center—not because you were particularly concerned about the people shopping there. What’s astounding is that neither of you apparently knew that the shopping plaza isn’t even located within the City.
You don’t live in the City, so I understand why you may not know its boundaries. But Ariel is running for Commission, and he should absolutely know where the City’s boundaries begin and end before criticizing the City for an issue it has no jurisdiction over.
My goodness, Rey Martinez. What are you talking about?
The location you’re referring to is outside the City of North Miami Beach. It is not within NMB’s jurisdiction, and it is certainly not the City’s job to police or manage another municipality’s infrastructure.
If you’re concerned about flooding at that location, look up the Miami-Dade County Commissioner for that address and take your concerns to him or her. That is the appropriate elected official to address county matters.
Before assuming it’s even a municipal issue, perhaps determine who is actually responsible. It could very well be the responsibility of the property owner. If that’s the case, they’re the ones potentially losing business, and apparently they don’t seem too concerned about it.
By the way, what you’re describing is stormwater runoff, not a sewer issue. Those are two very different things.
Ariel Vasquez, really? Didn’t you work in Public Works? You don’t know the difference?
You’re a bunch of amateurs. And Ariel, since you’re running for office, you might want to learn the basics of municipal and county jurisdiction before asking voters to put you in a position of responsibility.
The citizens certainly deserve better than uninformed candidates weighing in on issues that they clearly don’t understand.
If Mr. Ray or Mr. Ariel really wanted to take the initiative, all they have to do is look at the phone number of the management sign in that parking lot and they could call them and request or advise them or call the county to fix whatever problems are on that private lot that the city has NO jurisdiction over. That’s what you call taking the initiative and being a leader. If these phonies really cared about their so called backyard in his community, but everybody wants to pound their chest and put out a video and look like a superhero. That’s not what being a caring individual or a leader is about. All you have to do is take the initiative and don’t look for credit or the spotlight; do the right thing because of the end of the day if you’re truly about religion and caring for the community and the people and, the glory goes to God Mr. Pastor(s). Do something right without looking for recognition. Save your receipts for the big guy upstairs!!
Blessings and happy Labor Day.
Btw stay out of politics you don’t seem to be doing very well so far.
Well, what you should’ve done is had the problem fixed and then maybe post it so people could see what a great person you are. That would give you some bragging rights but your rant gets you nowhere!!
Keep shining the light Madam Blogger we see the way!!
I fully intend to keep spotlighting corruption and, in this case, utter stupidity.
I just shake my head that these people walk among us unsupervised. LOL!
I really thankful for my fans. thank you for always having me in mine together we will make the city great and better and strong stronger.. Let’s make the city great again.! Stronger NMB.
Now that’s a really “intelligent” response to being called out for telling a complete lie. Are you sure you’re an adult?
Then again, you are running with the ultimate pathological liar, i.e., Linda Joseph, so no surprise there.