Two more Bay Harbor Islands leaders, including the town’s top official, are getting behind Republican Rep. Fabián Basabe’s re-election effort.
Mayor Isaac Salver and Council member Joshua Fuller — an independent and Democrat, respectively — recently endorsed Basabe for a third term representing House District 106.
Both cited Basabe’s responsiveness and attention to the 6,000-resident municipality’s needs as pivotal in their decision to back him over two Democrats running to unseat him.
Salver, who won a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Florida League of Cities in August, said in a letter that Basabe’s accessibility, inquisitiveness and collaborative work with local leaders “had made a meaningful difference.”
“It is clear that you approach public service with both care and purpose,” Salver said, highlighting Basabe’s work on public safety, infrastructure, preservation and responsible governance issues.
“Your leadership style reflects a balance of professionalism, empathy, and results-driven focus that inspires confidence.”
Fuller, a past Mayor, said Bay Harbor Islands and the “entire region” around it have gained from Basabe’s representation in Tallahassee.
“All of our residents benefit from his efforts, and he has always quickly responded to provide for our citizens. He has consistently delivered effective leadership and demonstrated a strong ability to ensure smaller municipalities are not overlooked in the Florida Legislature,” he said in a statement. “This endorsement is not about party; it is about the person. Fabian Basabe has supported us; now it’s our turn to support him.”
Basabe thanked Salver for his endorsement, which he said “speaks to something bigger than politics.”
“In a time when public trust is collapsing, and too many elected officials treat leadership like performance art, I take pride in being known for something simple: showing up, listening, asking real questions, and doing the work,” he said in a statement.
He said Fuller’s support “cuts through the noise” of political divisiveness.
“Josh is a Democrat. I’m a Republican. But this is exactly how public service is supposed to work,” he said. “Performance matters. Responsiveness matters. Results matter.”
Basabe’s interactions with Bay Harbor Islands made news in August, when he successfully pushed for the firing of the municipality’s then-Town Attorney, Miami-Dade School Board member Joe Geller.
The nods from Salver and Fuller add to those from Bay Harbor Islands Vice Mayor Stephanie Bruder, Reps. Jose Alvarez of Kissimmee and Alex Rizo of Hialeah, Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez, Aventura City Commissioner Gustavo Blachman, Hallandale Beach Commissioner Anabelle Lima-Taub, Bal Harbour Council member Buzzy Sklar, Miami Beach running legend Robert “Raven” Kraft and South Beach drag performer Elaine Lancaster.
Rizo, Fernandez, Blachman, Lancaster, Lima-Taub, Sklar and Kraft are Republicans. Alvarez and Bruder are Democrats.
Every elected leader in Golden Beach and North Bay Village, which includes Republicans, Democrats, and third- or no-party officials, has also endorsed Basabe.
Both Democrats who have filed to run against Basabe — former Miami-Dade School Board member Lucia Báez-Geller and lawyer Ashley Litwin Diego — outraised him last quarter.
HD 106 covers a coastal strip of Miami-Dade between Miami Beach and Aventura.
The 2026 Primary is Aug. 18, followed by the General Election on Nov. 3.