Candidate Tana Llinas, Palmetto Bay Council Seat 1

Tana Llinas, a small-business owner and community organizer, is running for Village Council Seat 1 in the Village of Palmetto Bay in the nonpartisan municipal election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. The seat is open because Councilmember Patrick Fiore is term-limited. Pam Gorman is the only other candidate on the ballot for Seat 1, according to the Miami-Dade County sample ballot.

At a Glance

Office: Village Council, Seat 1, Village of Palmetto Bay
Area covered: Seat 1 is currently elected by voters villagewide
Incumbent? No. The seat is open; Councilmember Patrick Fiore is term-limited.
Opponent on ballot: Pam Gorman
Campaign website: TanaLlinas.com

Background

Llinas’s campaign website says she has lived in Palmetto Bay for 12 years. It says she has owned Brand Poets, a Palmetto Bay business, for more than 19 years, and an interview summary on the site describes her as a creative agency founder. The site lists her as a past chairwoman and current board member of the Palmetto Bay Business Association, and as a past president and current board member of the Mangowood Estates Citizens Association. It says she received a Village of Palmetto Bay Small Business Award in 2022.

The website also lists school involvement, including past PTA service at Coral Reef Elementary and parent association roles at Alexander Montessori School and Palmer Trinity School, as well as volunteer beach cleanups at the Deering Estate. She and her husband have been married 17 years and are raising two teenage sons in the village. The site says her name is pronounced “Taw-na Ye-Nass.”

She registered as a Seat 1 candidate on Feb. 24, 2026, according to registration dates the village clerk provided to Community Newspapers. Florida Politics describes her as an entrepreneur. In September she talked about her campaign on The Michael Miller Show on CNEWS TV. No public record we reviewed shows her holding elected office before.

In Their Own Words

“As a longtime resident, mother, business owner for nearly 20 years and proven community leader, I bring experience managing budgets, building consensus and delivering results.”

Tana Llinas, Miami Herald candidate questionnaire, Sept. 24, 2026

“Traffic and overdevelopment go hand in hand. We need a comprehensive mobility plan that improves how we move through our village, while ensuring new development follows our zoning laws and aligns with our infrastructure.”

Tana Llinas, Miami Herald candidate questionnaire, Sept. 24, 2026

“I don’t have a trajectory of being a political persona. I want to do good things for Palmetto Bay.”

Tana Llinas, quoted on the Michael Miller Show episode page, Sept. 11, 2026

“We need more conversation and less legal battles.”

Tana Llinas, quoted on the Michael Miller Show episode page, Sept. 11, 2026

Where She Stands on the Issues

Traffic and development

In the Herald questionnaire, Llinas called traffic and overdevelopment linked problems. She proposed a comprehensive mobility plan and said new development should follow village zoning and match existing infrastructure. She said smart, responsible planning would help reduce congestion and protect neighborhoods. Her campaign website says she supports “strategic growth” that respects zoning, infrastructure and residents’ expectations. Topics on her Michael Miller Show appearance included mobility, the 87th Avenue Bridge and regional cooperation.

Budget and Amendment 3

Her website says she would “put residents first” when reviewing the annual budget, scrutinize new projects and manage tax dollars “responsibly, transparently, and with Palmetto Bay’s long-term interests in mind.” In the Herald questionnaire she stressed fiscally responsible decisions. Her Michael Miller Show interview covered Amendment 3, the statewide homestead exemption measure, and what it would mean for the village budget. Her website’s summary of the interview refers to “the fiscal threat posed by Amendment 3’s homestead exemption changes.” If it passes, the village manager estimates Palmetto Bay would lose about $2.2 million in revenue in 2027 and about $3.5 million in 2028, CBS Miami reported.

Parks and quality of life

Her website says she wants parks to be accessible, well maintained and useful for families of all ages. Her CNEWS TV interview also touched on the village farmers market and managing local wildlife, including peacocks, ducks and iguanas.

Partnerships and small business

Her website calls for stronger partnerships with schools, faith-based organizations, neighboring municipalities and business leaders. Her interview included support for small businesses and women entrepreneurs.

What This Office Does

The Village of Palmetto Bay was incorporated on Sept. 10, 2002, and had 24,439 residents in the 2020 Census, according to Census figures compiled on Wikipedia. The Village Council has five members: the mayor, the vice mayor and three numbered seats. Seat 1 is held by Patrick Fiore, who told Community Newspapers in 2022 that he was first elected in 2010 and again in 2018. The council votes on the village budget and on land-use questions. In that same 2022 interview, Fiore pointed to his votes on a proposed condominium expansion on Old Cutler Road and on zoning for the former FPL property. Council agendas also list a village manager, a village attorney and a village clerk.

The way Seat 1 is elected could change. Referendum 4 on this year’s ballot would turn Council Seats 1, 2 and 3 into 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 villagewide, Florida Politics reported. The other five charter questions deal with:

Public speakers’ home address disclosure
Voter approval for most sales or leases of village property
Pursuing the U.S. Department of Agriculture property near Southwest 136th Street and 67th Avenue for park use
Term limits and a waiting period
Pedestrian, bicycle and golf cart facilities in road projects

The Race

Llinas and Gorman are the only two candidates for Seat 1. The same ballot includes an open mayor’s race (Karen Baez-Wallis, Tamara Mourino and David M. Singer) and a four-way race for the open Seat 3. Palmetto Bay’s municipal races were not on the Aug. 18 primary ballot. The South Dade News Leader’s primary roundup covered the county and state races that were.

Pam Gorman has lived in Palmetto Bay since 1993 and had a 34-year career in finance. She ran for Seat 1 in 2022 and lost to Fiore with 42.78% of the vote, Community Newspapers reported. She is running on opposing overdevelopment, fiscal responsibility and traffic relief.

Around Palmetto Bay held a nonpartisan candidate forum on Oct. 3, WLRN reported.

How to Vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and anyone in line by 7 p.m. may vote. Early voting in Miami-Dade County runs from Oct. 19 through Nov. 1, NBC6 reported. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Oct. 22, according to NBC6 and the South Dade News Leader. Completed mail ballots must reach the Supervisor of Elections by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Postmarks do not count. Sample ballots, polling places and vote-by-mail requests are available from the Miami-Dade Elections Department.

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.