Eileen Higgins has been elected as Miami’s next mayor after winning the runoff election against Emilio Gonzalez. Higgins, a former Miami-Dade County Commissioner, secured 59 percent of the vote, while Gonzalez received 41 percent.
The initial city election on November 4 featured 13 candidates, with Higgins receiving 36 percent and Gonzalez nearly 20 percent. Since no candidate achieved over half of the votes, a runoff was required.
Although local elections in Miami are officially non-partisan, this contest saw clear party divides. Gonzalez had support from leading Republican figures in Florida, including President Donald Trump. In contrast, Democratic organizations at both state and national levels campaigned for Higgins. She also gained endorsements from Democrats such as Pete Buttigieg.
Higgins’ victory makes her the first woman to serve as mayor of Miami and marks the first time in over twenty years that a Democrat has held the position.
Both candidates pledged to address issues related to the city’s permitting process and housing affordability. While Gonzalez proposed eliminating property taxes on homesteaded properties, Higgins highlighted her record of approving projects that delivered almost 7,000 affordable and workforce housing units during her tenure at Miami-Dade County.
Campaign finance reports show significant support for Higgins from real estate professionals and companies. She received about ten times more contributions from these groups than Gonzalez did following the initial election. Her political action committee, Ethical Leadership for Miami, is expected to report further donations in January.
A recent fundraiser for Higgins was co-hosted by law firm Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes at Brightline Station in downtown Miami. The event included notable attendees such as Jose Gonzalez of Florida East Coast Industries; Nelson Stabile of Integra Investments; Jonathan Raiffe and Sara Adler of Adler Properties.
According to campaign filings, Higgins received maximum individual contributions from developers like Jeff Berkowitz (Berkowitz Development Group), Michael Liu (Swerdlow Group), Rilea Group, Iris Escarra and Melissa Tapanes Llahues (zoning lawyers), affiliates of Integra Investments ($3,000 total), and six entities linked to Adler Properties ($6,000 combined). Gonzalez’s supporters included Alicia Cervera Lamadrid (Cervera Real Estate), Associated Builders & Contractors, and land use attorney Anthony De Yurre.
In other results from Tuesday’s elections:
– Rolando Escalona won an open city commission seat in Miami by defeating Frank Carollo with 53 percent of the vote.
– Monica Matteo-Salinas claimed an open commission seat in Miami Beach with a decisive win over Monique Pardo Pope.
– Pardo Pope faced scrutiny regarding allegations tied to her previous role at an affordable housing nonprofit as well as criticism for not disclosing details about her father’s criminal history after they were made public by filmmaker Billy Corben. Pope responded: “I too am a victim in this.”
