With Mayor Francis Suarez term-limited, 13 candidates are running for Miami’s top job, but six are considered frontrunners: Joe Carollo, Emilio González, Eileen Higgins, Xavier Suarez, Ken Russell, and Alex Díaz de la Portilla. Each brings significant political experience, important for a mayoral office with limited powers, including hiring and firing the City Manager and vetoing City Commission decisions.
Recent debates highlighted sharp differences on housing, corruption, and city leadership.
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Joe Carollo, 70, seeks a comeback after two previous mayoral terms and eight years on the City Commission. He emphasizes public safety, government accountability, restoring public spaces, attracting investment, improving education opportunities, and preserving neighborhood identity.
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Emilio González, 68, a former City Manager and federal official, is backed by high-profile figures including Gov. Ron DeSantis. His priorities include rolling back property taxes, reducing regulatory burdens on businesses, expanding the police force, investing in city infrastructure, and modernizing city services.
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Eileen Higgins, 61, would become Miami’s first woman mayor. Her platform focuses on government efficiency, fixing the city’s permitting process, affordable housing, supporting first responders, improving transportation, and strengthening the city’s climate resiliency.
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Xavier Suarez, 76, former Miami mayor and Miami-Dade Commissioner, emphasizes property tax reform, free mass transit, catastrophic insurance reform, and expanding the City Commission to better represent residents.
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Ken Russell, 52, a former commissioner making a comeback, prioritizes affordable housing, environmental protection, and addressing Miami’s rising sea levels.
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Alex Díaz de la Portilla, 61, a Republican from a political family, focuses on leadership, governance reform, and restoring confidence in local government.
Other candidates include Michael Hepburn, Christian Cevallos, Alyssa Crocker, June Savage, Elijah Bowdre, Laura Anderson, and Kenneth “K.J.” DeSantis.
The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 4, with a runoff scheduled for Dec. 9 if no candidate secures a majority.
