Miami Beach Mayor Levine hints at a run for governor

MIAMI BEACH — Mayor Philip Levine of Miami Beach said Thursday he will not run for a third term and is likely teeing up a run for governor in 2018.

Talk has long circulated that Levine, a Democrat who was a highly visible surrogate for Hillary Clinton, has his sights set on Tallahassee.

A wealthy businessman who made his fortune starting media companies in the cruise industry, he first entered politics when he was elected mayor in November 2013.

He was re-elected to a second two-year term in 2015.

On Thursday, he released a video rattling off highlights from his two terms as mayor and stating that he will not run in this year’s mayoral election.

“As an entrepreneur who likes to get things done, I also believe in the power of fresh ideas and fresh leadership,” Levine says. “To that end, this will be my last term as the mayor of Miami Beach.”

He stops short of announcing a gubernatorial run, but says he will explore “ways of how best to serve both my community and my state.”

He makes nonspecific statements about Florida’s economy, the environment and education.

Gov. Rick Scott is term-limited in 2018. Most Republicans expect Florida Agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam to run.

The Democratic field is getting crowded.

Other names circulating statewide as possible Democratic candidates: Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn; U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham; and Orlando trial lawyer John Morgan, who is a leading advocate for the legalization of medical marijuana.

On Thursday, Levine told the Miami Herald he plans to go around Florida this spring before making a final decision.

“Over the coming months, I plan to travel the state to listen, learn and find Florida,” he said. “I am actually reading T.D. Allman’s book ‘Finding Florida.’ I will make my decision in the spring.”