Candidate A.J. "AL" Lara, Palmetto Bay Council Seat 3

A.J. “AL” Lara is running for Seat 3 on the Palmetto Bay Village Council in the nonpartisan municipal election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. The seat is open because Council Member Marsha Matson is term-limited. Lara shares the ballot with three other candidates: Lasaly Changkachith, Carl Crawford and Alan “AlJohn” Farquharson.

At a Glance

Office: Village of Palmetto Bay Councilmember, Seat 3 (nonpartisan)
Area covered: Seat 3 is the council seat for the village’s Southern residential area. Candidates must live in that area.
Incumbent? No. The seat is open.
Opponents on the ballot: Lasaly Changkachith, Carl Crawford and Alan “AlJohn” Farquharson
Filing: Registered June 27, 2025, and qualified Aug. 4, 2026, according to the Village of Palmetto Bay
Campaign website: allaraforpalmettobay.com

Background

Lara is listed on the ballot as A.J. “AL” Lara. Miami’s Community News gave his full name as Albert James Lara in July 2026. He was the first Seat 3 candidate to register with the village, more than a year before qualifying opened (Village of Palmetto Bay).

His campaign website says he has spent nearly two decades building relationships with local law enforcement and civic organizations across Miami-Dade County, including more than 18 years working closely with the Sweetwater Police Department. The site says he has worked with Sweetwater Mayor Jose “Pepe” Diaz, a former Miami-Dade County commissioner, and has taken part in regional discussions on economic development, infrastructure and growth. It also says he has made relationships with the Palmetto Bay Police Department a priority. According to the site, his brother is a Coral Gables city commissioner. The site does not name his brother, his job title, his employer or his education.

In the Miami Herald questionnaire, Lara said his career has involved managing operations, facilities, budgets, people and complex problems. He said his experience in leadership, operations, facilities, budgeting and problem-solving would carry over to council work.

No public record of prior elected office or prior candidacy turned up in the sources reviewed for this profile.

In Their Own Words

All of the quotes below come from Lara’s answers in the Miami Herald’s Palmetto Bay candidate questionnaire, published Sept. 24, 2026.

“I’m running for Palmetto Bay Council because I care deeply about the community I call home …”

A.J. “AL” Lara, Miami Herald candidate questionnaire, Sept. 24, 2026

“I’m not running for a title. I’m running because I believe in serving my neighbors.”

A.J. “AL” Lara, Miami Herald candidate questionnaire, Sept. 24, 2026

“That experience has taught me how to listen carefully, evaluate information, make responsible decisions, manage resources effectively and follow through.”

A.J. “AL” Lara, Miami Herald candidate questionnaire, Sept. 24, 2026

“As the community grows and development pressures increase, the village must ensure that roads, drainage, public spaces and public safety services keep pace.”

A.J. “AL” Lara, Miami Herald candidate questionnaire, Sept. 24, 2026

Where He Stands on the Issues

Lara has not held elected office, so he has no voting record. His positions below are the ones stated on his campaign website and in his Herald answers.

Taxpayer dollars

His campaign site promises disciplined budgeting, open financial oversight, long-term planning, responsible contracting and decisions based on data. In the Herald, he listed careful use of taxpayer dollars among residents’ main concerns.

Residents first

The site says local government should serve residents rather than special interests. It commits him to listening before he votes and to bringing residents into decisions early.

Neighborhood character

The site lists preserving the village’s “charm” as a priority and calls for planning that keeps growth from coming at the expense of neighborhoods and green space. On the priorities page, the text under this heading repeats the text of the tax-dollars section.

Public safety and law enforcement

The site says he would work closely with the Palmetto Bay Police Department, advocate for the resources officers need, and support modern strategies to improve response times and community policing.

Growth and infrastructure

In the Herald, Lara said residents want safe streets, reliable infrastructure, responsible development and effective traffic management. He described those concerns as connected and said roads, drainage, public spaces and public safety services need to keep pace with development.

What This Office Does

Palmetto Bay was incorporated on Sept. 10, 2002, and had 24,439 residents in the 2020 Census. It covers about 8.4 square miles in South Miami-Dade (Census figures via Wikipedia). The Village Council has five members: the mayor, the vice mayor and three council members. The village directory currently lists Mayor Karyn Cunningham, Vice Mayor Mark Merwitzer and Council Members Patrick Fiore, Steve Cody and Marsha Matson.

Section 2.03 of the village charter divides Palmetto Bay into three residential areas. Seat 1 represents the Northern Area, Seat 2 the Central Area and Seat 3 the Southern Area. To run for a council seat, a candidate must have lived in the village continuously for at least two years before qualifying. The candidate must also live in the seat’s residential area when qualifying, when elected and for the whole term (Village of Palmetto Bay).

Issues before the council

The Luxcom property. Luxcom has asked the village to rezone about 60 acres at 6527 SW 152 St., the site of a former FPL power plant. The request would change the zoning from E-1, which allows one-acre estate homes, to Planned Area Development. Luxcom also sued the village in November 2020 under Florida’s Bert J. Harris Jr. Private Property Rights Protection Act, seeking more than $20 million. The village scheduled a public workshop and a zoning hearing on the application (Miami’s Community News, Oct. 3, 2026).
Six charter referendums on the same ballot (Florida Politics):
- Referendum 1 would let public speakers give only their name and municipality instead of a home address, and would require written comments to be submitted and distributed before a meeting.
- Referendum 2 would require voter approval for most sales, transfers, leases or licenses of village property. Leases of three years or less would be exempt.
- Referendum 3 would direct the village to try to acquire the U.S. Department of Agriculture property near SW 136th Street and SW 67th Avenue for park or open space use if it becomes available.
- Referendum 4 would change Council Seats 1, 2 and 3 to single-member districts, starting with Seat 2 in 2028 and Seats 1 and 3 in 2030. The mayor and vice mayor would still be elected village-wide.
- Referendum 5 would change how term limits are counted and add a four-year waiting period after an official reaches the limit.
- Referendum 6 would require sidewalks, bike paths and golf-cart facilities in roadway projects unless at least four council members waive the requirement. It would also create a dedicated transportation fund.

The Race

All four Seat 3 candidates qualified during the village’s qualifying period, which ran from noon Aug. 3 to noon Aug. 14, 2026. They appear on the ballot in this order: Lasaly Changkachith, Carl Crawford, Alan “AlJohn” Farquharson and A.J. “AL” Lara (Miami-Dade Elections master ballot).

Lasaly Changkachith serves on the village Resiliency Committee and has spent more than 20 years as a Scout leader. Her platform focuses on fiscal accountability, traffic and street safety, and protecting green space and water (campaign website).
Carl Crawford is a Palmetto Bay homeowner and business owner who says he has nearly 30 years of experience in real estate, business and project management. He lists managing growth as his first priority (South Dade News Leader).
Alan “AlJohn” Farquharson ran for Palmetto Bay mayor in 2022. He told the Herald he is running to restore civility, honesty and accountability, and he cited his small-business experience.

Palmetto Bay voters will also choose a mayor, with Karen Baez-Wallis, Tamara Mourino and former Council Member David M. Singer on the ballot, and a Seat 1 council member, with Pam Gorman and Tana Llinas running. All three offices are open because the incumbents are term-limited (Political Cortadito). Former Vice Mayor John DuBois registered to run for mayor but withdrew to run for Miami-Dade County Commission District 8. He lost that race to Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins in the Aug. 18 primary (South Dade News Leader). If one is needed, Palmetto Bay’s runoff date is Dec. 1, 2026 (Florida Politics).

How to Vote

Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at your assigned precinct.
Early voting: Monday, Oct. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, at any Miami-Dade early voting site. Sites in South Dade include the Coral Reef Branch Library, 9211 SW 152nd St., and the South Dade Government Center, 10710 SW 211th St. (early voting schedule).
Vote by mail: The Elections Department must receive your request by 5 p.m. on the 12th day before the election, which is Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. A postmarked request does not count. Completed ballots must arrive by 7 p.m. on Election Day (Miami-Dade Elections).
To check your registration, find your sample ballot or look up your polling place, visit Miami-Dade Elections.

Community Leadership Alliance is nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates. This profile is based on public records, candidate statements and news coverage, including the South Dade News Leader. Candidates who wish to submit corrections may contact us through our Contact page.

Candidate A.J. “AL” Lara, Palmetto Bay Council Seat 3