Candidate Carl Crawford, Palmetto Bay Council Seat 3

Carl Crawford 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. Crawford shares the ballot with three other candidates: Lasaly Changkachith, Alan “AlJohn” Farquharson and A.J. “AL” Lara.

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, Alan “AlJohn” Farquharson and A.J. “AL” Lara
Filing: Registered Aug. 11, 2026, and qualified Aug. 13, 2026, according to the Village of Palmetto Bay
Campaign website: No campaign website was verified. His campaign email is listed as info@crawfordmiami.com.

Background

In answers to a South Dade News Leader candidate questionnaire published Oct. 2, 2026, Crawford said he has nearly 30 years of experience in real estate, business and project management, including budgets, contracts, development and holding projects accountable. He described himself as a Palmetto Bay homeowner and business owner who is raising his children in the village with his wife.

His campaign email uses the crawfordmiami.com domain. That domain hosts the website of Crawford & Company Real Estate Services, LLC, which lists Carl Crawford as its broker and principal. The firm’s site lists an office in Miami Beach and describes services such as residential sales, broker price opinions, and work on bank-owned and pre-foreclosure properties.

Crawford also told the News Leader that he is a longtime Palmetto Bay resident, a husband and father, 24 years sober, a cancer survivor and a lifelong skateboarder. He said those experiences shape the perspective he would bring to public service.

He was the last of the four Seat 3 candidates to file. He registered on Aug. 11, 2026, and qualified two days later, the day before qualifying closed (Village of Palmetto Bay). No public record of prior elected office or prior candidacy turned up in the sources reviewed for this profile.

In Their Own Words

“Palmetto Bay is my home and where my wife and I are raising our children. I am a resident and homeowner first.”

Carl Crawford, South Dade News Leader candidate questionnaire, Oct. 2, 2026

“My first priority is managing growth without sacrificing Palmetto Bay’s quality of life.”

Carl Crawford, South Dade News Leader candidate questionnaire, Oct. 2, 2026

“I won’t always have the answer immediately, but I will listen, do the homework, and follow up. Public service should never create distance between a Councilmember and the people they represent.”

Carl Crawford, South Dade News Leader candidate questionnaire, Oct. 2, 2026

“We need disciplined planning that protects our residents, property values and village for the next generation.”

Carl Crawford, Miami Herald candidate questionnaire, Sept. 24, 2026

Where He Stands on the Issues

Crawford has not held elected office, so he has no voting record. His positions below come from his answers to the South Dade News Leader and the Miami Herald.

Growth and development

Crawford calls managing growth his first priority. He told the News Leader that development should be weighed together with traffic, drainage, infrastructure, public safety and fit with the surrounding neighborhood, not reviewed one issue at a time. In the Herald questionnaire, he said development must be balanced against those same factors and against neighborhood character.

Traffic, drainage and infrastructure

He named traffic, drainage and infrastructure as one of his three main issue areas. He said new development should be considered against the capacity of existing infrastructure and its effect on traffic.

Public safety and village finances

Crawford said public safety and essential services should stay priorities. He said village finances need close attention to budgets, contracts, accountability and the long-term effects of spending decisions. In the Herald, he listed fiscal discipline and safer streets among the reasons he is running.

Accessibility

He told the News Leader that he wants residents to feel comfortable contacting him whether or not they agree with him. He also said residents are owed clear explanations of council decisions and honest answers when something cannot be done.

Why he says he is running

Asked what sets him apart, Crawford said each candidate has different experience and reasons for running. He cited his professional background and his roles as a resident, homeowner, business owner and father, and summed up his motivation this way: “My why is simply service” (South Dade News Leader).

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).
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.
A.J. “AL” Lara was the first of the four to register, in June 2025. He cites experience in leadership, operations, facilities and budgeting, and his campaign site describes nearly two decades of work with local law enforcement.

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.