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Sure, our elections might not have been as exciting as some of the more high-profile races in New York, California, and Virginia. But today, voters across Miami-Dade County turned out for a handful of key local races.
The cities of Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Surfside, and Homestead all hosted municipal elections, with voters choosing new mayors, vice mayors, commissioners, and weighing in on several ballot measures.
The big news: City of Miami voters said farewell to the old elected guard at city hall. The mayoral race has boiled down to a December 9 runoff between Eileen Higgins, a downtown resident who has been serving on the Miami-Dade County Commission, and Emilio González, a former city manager. Veteran elected officials Joe Carollo, Alex de la Portilla, Xavier Suarez, and Ken Russell all missed the cut.
And while Joe Carollo might soon clomp off into the political sunset, the town’s big enough for more than one Carollo on the dais, and Joe’s brother Frank, who drew nearly 38 percent of the vote in Miami Commission District 3, is headed for a runoff against Rolando Escalona (17.39 percent)
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Here’s who (and what) won South Florida’s 2025 municipal elections (asterisk [*] denotes winner):
Miami
Mayor
*Eileen Higgins (35.95 percent)
*Emilio González (19.47 percent)
Ken Russell (17.57 percent)
Joe Carollo (11.47 percent)
Alex de la Portilla (5.16 percent)
Xavier Suarez (4.94 percent)
Michael A. Hepburn (1.85 percent)
Laura Anderson (1.11 percent)
Christian E. Cevallos (0.77 percent)
Elijah John Bowdre (0.48 percent)
Alyssa Crocker (0.39 percent)
June E. Savage (0.23 percent)
*Top two finishers headed to December 9 runoff
City Commission
District 3
*Frank Carollo (37.75 percent)
*Rolando Escalona (17.39 percent)
Oscar Alejandro (11.94 percent)
Rob Piper (10.94 percent)
Brenda Betancourt (8.88 percent)
Denise Galvez Turros (7.26 percent)
Yvonne Bayona (5.17 percent)
Fayez Tanous-Vazquez (0.66 percent)
*Top two finishers headed to December 9 runoff
District 5
*Christine King (84.42 percent)
Marion K. Brown (8.15 percent)
Frederick Bryant (7.43 percent)
Referendum 1
Would establish a citizen charter review commission
*Yes (76.18 percent)
No (23.82 percent)
Referendum 2
Would loosen restrictions on selling non-waterfront city property
Yes (40.58 percent)
*No (59.42 percent)
Referendum 3
Would redistrict and increase number of districts
*Yes (77.44 percent)
No (22.56 percent)
Referendum 4
Would establish lifetime term limits for elected officials
*Yes (79.13 percent)
No (20.87 percent)
Miami Beach
Mayor
*Steven Meiner (51.20 percent)
Kristen Rosen Gonzalez (48.80 percent)
City Commission
Group I
*Monica Matteo-Salinas (23.25 percent)
*Monique Pardo Pope (20.15 percent)
Daniel Ciraldo (17.65 percent)
Brian Ehrlich (19.31 percent)
Ava Frankel (12.61 percent)
Omar Jimenez (7.03 percent)
*Top two finishers headed to December 9 runoff
Group II
*Laura Dominguez (60.99 percent)
Fred Karlton (39.01 percent)
Group III
*Alex Fernandez (84.07 percent)
Luidgi Mary (15.93 percent)
Surfside
Referendum 1
Would continue the town’s project to bury overhead electric and communication (estimated cost $80 million)
Yes (42.12 percent)
*No (57.88 percent)
Referendum 2
Non-binding, gauges resident support of creating a gated community in Surfside
Yes (34.68 percent)
*No (65.32 percent)
Referendum 3
Would require unanimous commissioner approval for spending over $2 million (except in emergencies)
*Yes (53.02 percent)
No (46.98 percent)
Referendum 4
Would require 60 percent voter approval before spending 20 percent or more of previous year’s tax revenue on a single project
*Yes (64.04 percent)
No (35.96 percent)
Hialeah
Mayor
*Bryan Calvo (52.93 percent)
Jesus Tundidor (20.68 percent)
Jackie Garcia-Roves (19.05 percent)
Marc Anthony Salvat (6.47 percent)
Benny Rodriguez (0.86 percent)
City Council
Group III
*Gelien Perez (40.50 percent)
*Jessica Castillo (36.02 percent)
Kassandra Y. Montandon (23.48 percent)
*Top two finishers headed to December 9 runoff
Group IV
*William “Willy” Marrero (24.89 percent)
*Javier Morejon (23.35 percent)
Mariana V. Chavez (22.04 percent)
Juan Santana (19.05 percent)
Phillip Kennedy (10.66 percent)
*Top two finishers headed to December 9 runoff
Group VI
*Melinda De La Vega (60.54 percent)
Juan F. Junco (39.46 percent)
Group VII
*Luis Rodriguez (56.96 percent)
Abdel Jimenez (43.04 percent)
Homestead
Vice Mayor
*Jenifer N. Bailey (55.44 percent)
Thomas Davis (44.56 percent)
City Council
Seat 1
*Kimberly Konsky (55.87 percent)
Thomas Davis (44.13 percent)
Seat 5
*Erica G. Avila (58.12 percent)
Sonia M. Castro (41.88 percent)
Referendum 1
Would extend the mayor’s consecutive term limit from 8 to 12 years (matching city council limits)
Yes (22.82 percent)
*No (77.18 percent)
Referendum 2
Would require a runoff election in a special election to fill a city council vacancy (with more than a year remaining) if no candidate wins a majority
*Yes (67.75 percent)
No (32.25 percent)
Referendum 3
Would allow the city to borrow up to $36.4 million in property tax-funded bonds to build and upgrade parks
For Bonds (46.48 percent)
*Against Bonds (53.52 percent)
Referendum 4
Would let the city borrow up to $39.6 million in property tax–backed bonds to fund road construction and improvements
*For Bonds (53.25 percent)
Against Bonds (46.75 percent)
