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Mayoral Candidates To Face-Off Twice

MIAMI (CBS4) - As Miami-Dade's Special Election to replace Mayor Carlos Alvarez approaches, voters will have not one, but two, opportunities to get to know the candidates over the next day or so.

At 7 p.m. Monday all 11 candidates;  Luther Campbell, Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina and state Rep. Marcelo Llorente are expected to attend a public forum hosted by The Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations.  CBS4's Elliot Rodriguez will moderate the candidate's forum which will take place at the Kendall Village Center Civic Pavilion located at 8625 SW 124th Avenue.

On Tuesday, six of the candidates are expected to appear at another open forum at the University of Miami.  The six expected to attend are Carlos Gimenez, Roosevelt Bradley, Luther Campbell, Marcelo Llorente, Julio Robaina and Jose Cancio.  The forum, which begins at 3:30 p.m., will be held at UM's Bank United Center Fieldhouse,1245 Dauer Drive.

"The University of Miami is happy that this important event is being held on campus and that we will be able to have our students, faculty and staff, along with the entire community, participate in hearing from the candidates," UM President Donna Shalala told CBS4's news partner The Miami Herald.

The forum at UM is sponsored by The Miami Foundation and The Miami Herald/ElNuevo Herald.  CBS4's Jawan Strader will be part of the panel.

Javier Alberto Soto, president and CEO of The Miami Foundation, believes that the foundation has "a responsibility to ensure that Miami-Dade residents are informed before the special election."

"Our larger goal is to elevate the tone and tenor of the conversation so voters have meaningful information to make informed decisions," said Soto.

The Special Election to replace Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez will be held on May 24th.

On Monday Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush endorsed Julio Robaina to be the next mayor of Miami-Dade County.  For more on the story, Click Here.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved.  This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)

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