Eileen Higgins has been elected as Miami’s next mayor, following a decisive victory in the runoff election held on Tuesday. Higgins, a former Miami-Dade County Commissioner, secured 59 percent of the vote, defeating Emilio Gonzalez, who garnered 41 percent. The runoff was triggered after neither candidate achieved more than 50 percent in the initial Nov. 4 city election.
Higgins emerged from a field of 13 candidates with 36 percent in the first round, while Gonzalez received nearly 20 percent. Despite Miami’s local elections being officially non-partisan, the contest between Higgins and Gonzalez was marked by significant partisan involvement.
Gonzalez was endorsed by several prominent Republican politicians from Florida, including President Donald Trump. In contrast, Democratic organizations at both state and national levels supported Higgins through advertising and mail campaigns. She also received endorsements from well-known Democrats such as former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Higgins’ victory marks her as Miami’s first female mayor and the first Democrat to hold the office in over twenty years.
During their campaigns, both candidates focused on improving Miami’s permitting process—a frequent complaint among small business owners and developers regarding delays—and addressed housing affordability issues. Gonzalez proposed eliminating property taxes on homesteaded properties. Higgins highlighted her previous record at Miami-Dade County, where she approved projects totaling nearly 7,000 affordable and workforce housing units.
Financial backing from real estate interests played a notable role in this election cycle. Reports indicate that Higgins received almost ten times more campaign contributions from real estate professionals, corporations, and land use attorneys compared to Gonzalez after the Nov. 4 elections. Her political action committee (PAC), Ethical Leadership for Miami, is also expected to report substantial donations from real estate sources when its next financial disclosure is filed in January.
A recent fundraiser for Higgins was co-hosted by Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes at Brightline Station in downtown Miami and included attendees such as Jose Gonzalez of Florida East Coast Industries; Nelson Stabile of Integra Investments; Jonathan Raiffe and Sara Adler of Adler Properties. Attendees were asked to contribute either up to $1,000 for her campaign or unlimited amounts to her PAC.
According to campaign finance reports, fourteen developers and related entities each gave Higgins’ campaign the maximum individual contribution allowed under state law. These contributors included Jeff Berkowitz of Berkowitz Development Group; Michael Liu of Swerdlow Group; Rilea Group; zoning lawyers Iris Escarra and Melissa Tapanes Llahues; three affiliates of Integra Investments contributed $3,000 collectively; six entities linked to Adler Properties donated $6,000 combined.
Gonzalez received maximum contributions from eleven real estate figures or organizations such as Alicia Cervera Lamadrid of Cervera Real Estate; Associated Builders & Contractors; and attorney Anthony De Yurre.
In other city races decided during Tuesday’s runoff elections: Rolando Escalona—real estate broker and manager at Brickell restaurant Sexy Fish—won an open city commission seat with 53 percent against Frank Carollo. This result ended the Carollo family’s long-standing influence on city politics.
Bill Fuller—a developer involved in Little Havana who previously won a legal judgment against Joe Carollo—attended Escalona’s victory celebration.
In nearby Miami Beach elections, Monica Matteo-Salinas prevailed over Monique Pardo Pope for an open city commission seat with 71 percent support. The race followed controversy surrounding Pardo Pope’s past statements about her late father—a convicted serial killer—which became public during the campaign period after revelations by local filmmaker Billy Corben led Pope to issue a statement: “I too am a victim in this.”
