Philip Levine Targets Rival Jeff Greene In New Attack Ads

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Signaling a change of strategies, former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine is now attacking his Democratic rival, billionaire developer Jeff Greene, in their fight to be their party's nominee for governor.

Until now, Levine steered clear of the negative ads that have become a staple in this year's race. With voting already underway, and Levine seemingly stuck in second behind Gwen Graham, Levine is focusing his fire on the third-place Greene, hoping Greene's voters will work their way back to him.

Levine has launched at least one new ad likening Greene to President Trump. Other ads attacking Greene are in the works. Levine

On Friday, during an appearance on CBS Miami's Facing South Florida, Levine previewed this new line of attack.

"We have five people in the race but I think what people are looking for is someone who has actually done things; someone that has combined private sector experience with public sector experience," Levine told CBS Miami's Jim DeFede. "Because the one thing we know is no one wants someone to go from [the] private [sector] right to the big job. Because we have a president right now, unfortunately, who did that and it hasn't worked out so well."

Asked if he was taking a shot at Greene, Levine said: "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Prior to Greene's entry in the race, Levine was ahead. But Greene and Levine appeal to many of the same voters and have ended up splitting the vote, allowing Graham to become the frontrunner.

For his part, Greene has attacked both Levine and Graham. And Graham has attacked Greene.