With all the excitement and attention given to Miami Beach’s political contest, it’s easy to forget there also was an election Tuesday for three of five Miami City Commission seats.

Nearly 13 percent of voters turned out in Miami, and when all was said and done, none of the three seats changed hands. Name recognition and superior fundraising abilities allowed those incumbents to stay put, though some of their victories were wider than others.

District 1: ‘Not yet done’

The battle for the city of Miami’s District 1 seat, representing Allapattah, wasn’t quite as competitive as some may have desired. Incumbent Angel Gonzalez handled the Miami Herald-endorsed challenger Mike Suarez rather easily. Gonzalez garnered 2,581 votes to Suarez’s 1,717, good for 60.1 percent of that area’s electorate.

Tuesday’s result comes as no surprise, however, since recent campaign treasurer reports filed by the Gonzalez camp reveal that a fund drive Oct. 13 to Nov. 1 collected $70,985 in contributions, giving the City Commission chairman an election account totaling $518,515. In contrast, Suarez netted a mere $615 in that time period, bringing his war chest to a total of $74,823.

Simply put, in 20 days Gonzalez almost out-earned Suarez’s entire year-long campaign.

Still, the gaping chasm in Suarez’s coffers didn’t sway his confidence or his focus on the issues.

“I’ve been in dozens of people’s homes in this campaign, and they all say the same thing: ‘We want our property taxes lowered to a reasonable rate,’ and I think that has to be the number one issue as far as I’m concerned,” Suarez said Tuesday afternoon. He added that lower taxes and other slow-development growth measures would not be possible with those who cater to special interest groups sitting on the commission.

Suarez stopped short of naming Gonzalez as such a caterer, but some special folks expressed their interest in keeping Gonzalez on the commission dais in dollars and cents.

Local entrepreneur Gregory Mirmelli used his own name and four of his companies to donate the maximum allowable amount, $500, five times to the Gonzalez cause on Oct. 30. Mirmelli is the downtown developer who bought a parcel of land for $1.5 million in 2002 and then sold it to the city as a parking lot a year later for $2.95 million.

Mirmelli wasn’t the only one who came through for the incumbent with 11th-hour donations using multiple corporate names. Ten businesses on the second floor of 804 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, each contributed $500 on Oct. 30. Aside from identical names, the companies share a common officer, Charles J. Goldman.

Besides developers and landowners, Gonzalez also had support from firefighters. Members of the Miami Fire Department donned orange and green “Vote Gonzalez” T-shirts and cruised the Flagler Dog Track polling station’s parking lot in an early-model fire truck, hauling a trailer with matching Gonzalez billboards.

“[Gonzalez] was there for us in our contract negations,” said MFD Lt. Fidel Barreto. “We had a city manager that didn’t want to take care of the public servants and Gonzalez stepped up to the plate for us. He’s really just a down to earth, regular guy. He understands the working man.”

Gonzalez supporter Frederic Montalvo, manning the parking lot in Allapattah’s Moore Park, went a step further. “Oh, he’s going to win,” Montalvo said. “We’re going to have a party tonight.”

More than 100 friends, family and supporters — including Mayor Manny Diaz and Frank Castañeda, Gonzalez’s campaign treasurer and commission aide — gathered at the Melreese Golf Course to help the commissioner celebrate his re-election.

Although Gonzalez avoided the press throughout his campaign, he did not pass on the opportunity to express his gratitude to the voters of his district.

“I am very honored by their support and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their efforts and trust,” Gonzalez said.

As his supporters mingled, drank, ate and danced to the music provided by a local mariachi band, Gonzalez assured them that he will continue to represent Allapattah’s issues and improve his district’s neighborhoods.

“I worked very hard on this campaign and, of course, my work here is not done yet,” Gonzalez said. “The people from my district can look forward to safer neighborhoods, improved roads, cleaner streets, safer and cleaner parks, better drainage system and affordable housing.”

Except for the band, the scene was not much different at Mike Suarez’s election party.

More than 50 family members and close friends gathered at the Allapattah home of Horracio Aguire to support Suarez, including activist Grace Solares, president of Miami Neighborhoods United. When the votes were all counted, Suarez’s wife and campaign manager Christina thanked their guests.

“In no way is this a loss,” she said. “This is definitely a victory for Mike and we thank you for all of your support.”

Soon after his wife’s remarks, Suarez was welcomed into the room with applause and praise from family and friends. As he made his way around the room, he reassured them that their efforts were not in vain.

“Thanks for all your efforts and remember that we did our best,” Suarez said. “I gave it 100 percent and the rest was up to the constituents.”

Suarez said he would run for office again in the future.

District 2: A landslide victory

A cheer rose from the crowd gathered in front of two large-screen televisions behind the bar at the Green Street Café in Coconut Grove when the early results of the District 2 commission election flashed at 8 p.m.: With seven of 36 precincts reporting, incumbent Marc Sarnoff had nearly 90 percent of the vote. When all the results were in, Sarnoff had trounced his two opponents. He received 3,343 votes, or 88.8 percent. Socialist candidate and militant writer Ellen Brickley got 232 votes, or 6.16 percent. Ray “Ambassador” Cantillo received 191 votes, just 5.07 percent.

Claps and another cheer erupted when Sarnoff walked in wearing a black leather jacket.

“You all have known me in this year,” he said. “I’ve gotten to know you. All I ask is that we maintain the conversation and the civility of the conversation. Because the city of Miami is becoming a more civilized city, if each of us [is] more civil with each other, we’ll find ourselves being much more compatible and a great city.’’

It was a year ago that Sarnoff won the District 2 seat from Linda Haskins, who had more money and the support of Mayor Diaz. Now, things are different: Mayor Diaz was spotted at one of Sarnoff’s fundraisers and City Manager Pedro Hernandez was on hand Tuesday night to hear Sarnoff’s victory speech.

“I can’t think of a nicer man. I can’t think of a more thoughtful man. And I can’t think of a more capable man to share ideas with,” Sarnoff said of Hernandez.

In his first full four-year term as city commissioner, Sarnoff said he wants to address crime, traffic, affordable housing and bringing in more jobs. He also believes his district, which includes Coconut Grove, much of downtown and the Upper Eastside, is paying too much to support the rest of the city.

“District 2 accounts for 78 percent of the revenues in Miami,” Sarnoff said. “We’re responsible for everyone; every commissioner’s decision we pay for. It’s time for people to respect the fact that District 2 is the economic engine to the city of Miami and they need to start finding ways of creating economic engines and opportunities in their own districts. The people here need tax relief.”

Revelers at the election party sipped wine and munched on slices of thin-crust pizza and hummus plates as they sang Sarnoff’s praises.

“The key was doing a great job this year,” Sarnoff advisor Peter Ehrlich said. “This year gave him a great education.’’

District 4: Playing ball

At the banquet hall of Our Lady of Lebanon Church on Coral Way, about 300 people mingled over cake, soft drinks and other baked goods. This was the site of Commissioner Tomas Regalado’s re-election celebration. The 60-year-old longtime radio and television commentator made it official when he stepped onstage shortly before 9 p.m. to deliver his victory speech.

“We’re only winning by 93 percent,” Regalado said as the chatty and confident crowd seated at balloon-clad tables inside the hall erupted in celebration. “This gives us another two years and hopefully we'll win that one by 100 [percent].”

(When the final tally came in, Regalado had 90.2 percent, or 3,421 votes. Evaristo “Ever” Marina had 9.8 percent, or 370.)

Regalado, who was first elected to the commission in 1996 and has served longer than any other elected official on the dais, said he will continue to push for more police officers and firefighters on the streets of Miami while discouraging city officials from spending money on things he deems useless, like creating underwater port tunnels. Regalado, whose District 4 covers the Flagami area, also vowed to fight for lower taxes, a sexier and cleaner downtown and the construction of a Florida Marlins stadium where the Orange Bowl currently stands.

“I think we should do it — we have the land and the money to do it,” Regalado said. “All we need now is for the Marlins to jump onboard.”

But Regalado left the best for last, announcing to wild cheers his intention to start campaigning for the mayor’s seat.

“Hopefully we'll be back here in a couple of years,” he said.

— David Quinones, Youseline Aldajuste, Fernando Ruano Jr. and Alejandro Alfonso contributed to this report.