Tana Llinas wants Palmetto Bay residents talking to each other instead of suing each other.

The small business owner and community organizer registered Feb. 24 to run for Village Council Seat 1 and qualified for the ballot Aug. 4, according to the village's registered candidates page. She faces Pam Gorman, who registered Aug. 13 and qualified Aug. 14, in the Nov. 3 general election.

Llinas told host Michael Miller in a Friday, Sept. 11 interview on The Michael Miller Show on Miami's Community Newspapers that she doesn't see herself as a political figure and wants to do good things for Palmetto Bay.

Llinas, a mother of two teenage boys who has owned a small business for nearly 20 years, is affiliated with the Palmetto Bay Business Association. Under the village charter, the Seat 1 council member must live in the Northern Area of Palmetto Bay.

Less litigation, more conversation

Llinas said she wants the village to move past expensive internal disputes. "We need more conversation and less legal battles," she said.

The village has recent history on that front. WLRN reported in May 2025 that Council Member Steve Cody sued the village and Vice Mayor Mark Merwitzer over Merwitzer's qualifications. The village paid for both its own legal defense and Merwitzer's. Over 10 months, the village also paid about $200,000 to lobbyist Jorge Luis Lopez for legal and lobbying work tied to the Tanglewood park dispute.

Amendment 3 and the village budget

The interview also covered Amendment 3, a statewide ballot measure on Nov. 3 that would raise the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. Miami-Dade County estimates it would lose about $359 million in property-tax revenue in the first year alone, Political Cortadito reported.

That matters in Palmetto Bay. Outgoing Mayor Karyn Cunningham said at a Sept. 3 press conference, as Political Cortadito reported, that more than 60% of the village's revenue comes from property taxes and that 51% of that funds law enforcement.

Llinas discussed the amendment's potential impact on the village budget during the interview but did not detail a specific position.

Parks, wildlife and small business

Llinas also touched on parks, the farmers market, mobility issues including the 87th Avenue Bridge, managing local wildlife such as peacocks and iguanas, and supporting women entrepreneurs. She did not outline specific policy proposals on those topics.

The village's FY 2027 budget is open for public review. The first budget hearing was Sept. 14. The next hearing is Wednesday, Sept. 23.

Palmetto Bay's general election covers the mayor's seat, Seat 1 and Seat 3. Voters must register by Oct. 5. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Oct. 22 by 5 p.m. If no candidate clears 50%, a runoff is set for Dec. 1.