Miami-Dade Mayor Accused of Diner Ambush by State Rep Three Days Before Vote
Rep. Fabián Basabe confronted Mayor Daniella Levine Cava at a Miami Beach restaurant on Oct. 31, days after a jury awarded him $450,000 in damages.
By Bianca Herrera ·
State Rep. Fabián Basabe approached Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava at a neighborhood diner on Oct. 31, three days before the general election. The confrontation occurred while the Mayor and her political advisor, Christian Ulvert, were eating lunch before a final weekend of voter outreach.
Video released by the Mayor’s office shows Basabe following Levine Cava and directing questions at her. He pressed her on the Muslim Brotherhood and the Committee for American Islamic Relations. He also accused her of taking "blood money" and becoming wealthy in public office.
Ulvert described the incident as a staged stunt intended to intimidate the Mayor. He stated that Basabe’s conduct was not accountability or debate. Ulvert argued that elected officials should argue in public forums and on the ballot, not by cornering a colleague at a diner table.
The advisor labeled the behavior "especially dangerous" due to rising threats against public officials. He noted that Levine Cava has previously warned that security for elected leaders cannot be an afterthought. Ulvert said the incident fits a pattern of conduct that has already drawn criticism from local bodies.
Basabe faces a civil liability finding from July 15. A jury awarded $450,000 to former aide Nicolas Frevola and former intern Jacob Cutbirth. The men alleged sexual harassment, battery, and defamation. Specific claims included slapping, groping, and unwelcome sexual remarks.
Court records indicate at least five men have accused Basabe of sexual impropriety. One witness testified that Basabe drugged and raped him in Malibu in 2003. Another claimed Basabe pulled him into a bedroom in Shiloh. A third witness described a proposition for a threesome. Two related investigations by the Florida Commission on Ethics were dismissed.
Five of the seven Miami Beach City Commission members have called for Basabe to resign. They cited a 2024 on-video promise that he would step down if found guilty of the actions in the civil case. Basabe is now challenging former Miami-Dade School Board Member Lucia Báez-Geller for House District 106. The district is a swing seat where Democrats are more motivated than Republicans. Trump carried the area by 9 points in 2024, while Biden won it by 10 points in 2020.
