Higgins Defeats González: Miami Elects First Woman Mayor

It was a momentous day of runoff elections in Hialeah, Miami Beach, and the City of Miami, as some races didn’t have a candidate win a majority of the vote during the November general election.

The City of Miami has elected its first Democratic mayor in nearly three decades — and the first woman ever — with Eileen Higgins soundly defeating former city manager and President Donald Trump-endorsed Emilio González. She succeeds Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who is leaving office millions of dollars richer than when he arrived in 2018, as the city’s first-ever female mayor. In the general election last month, Higgins dominated the mayoral race, receiving nearly 36 percent of the vote, while González received just over 19 percent.

In other news, the Carollo political dynasty is officially over in the City of Miami. Former Miami commissioner Frank Carollo lost to political newcomer Rolando Escalona, the general manager of Brickell’s Sexy Fish, in the race for the District 3 seat, which his older brother Joe Carollo has held since 2017. Prior to his big brother, Frank Carollo served as the District 3 commissioner from 2009 to 2017. Residents attempted to keep Frank Carollo off the ballot after voters approved a November referendum that created lifetime term limits, allowing elected officials to serve only two terms in each position. However, a judge ruled that Frank can remain in the race for his older brother’s District 3 seat, opting not to interfere “with the orderly process of the election.”

Over in Miami Beach, residents decided between Monica Matteo-Salinas, a City of Miami Beach commission aide, and Monique Pardo Pope, an attorney and daughter of the notorious serial killer Manuel Pardo, for the Group 1 commission seat. Matteo-Salinas previously earned 23 percent of the vote, and Pardo Pope won 20 percent. In Hialeah, voters have cast their ballots for the Group 3 and Group 4 city council seats. Jessica Castillo, a 38-year-old social worker, went up against Gelien Perez, a former Hialeah human resources director who was supported by Hialeah Mayor-elect Bryan Calvo, in the Group 3 race. Perez won 41 percent of the vote while Castillo won 36 percent last month.

William “Willy” Marrero, a 22-year-old Florida International University (FIU) student and former council aide, battled Javier Morejon, a 34-year-old land-use specialist, for the Group 4 seat. Marrero narrowly led in the general election, receiving just under 25 percent of the vote, whereas Morejon received 23 percent.

Here are the final results of Miami-Dade’s December 2025 elections (asterisk [*] denotes winner):