Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava details her work on improving affordable housing

MIAMI—On Thursday, in response to a resident's question on affordable housing, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava addressed how she tackled the affordable housing issue in the county during her first term in office as mayor.

"I've doubled our investment in affordable housing since I became mayor, and over my first term, the county has funded more than 5,000 units, and we have 8,000 more in the pipeline," Levine Cava said. "We're incentivizing developers to build more affordable housing and preserve existing units. And now the Department of Housing will report directly to me."

Cava also detailed examples of what she has done to confront the problem as county mayor.

"We opened an office of housing advocacy. We help tenants and landlords with disputes. We navigate services with them so they can know their rights. We also have targeted programs that help people with mortgage and utility costs. Condo special assessment loans help people pay large assessments with zero interest and eviction diversion programs help people in their homes," Levine Cava added.

The 69-year-old Cava was first elected mayor of Miami-Dade County in 2020. She previously served as a Miami-Dade County Commissioner from 2014 until her election.

In November, Cava, a Democrat, defeated Republican candidates Manny Cid and Alexander Otaola for a second term in office. Her victory was one of few bright spots for Democrats in Miami-Dade County after President-elect Donald Trump carried the area.

It also was the first time a Republican president won Miami-Dade since George H.W. Bush in 1988.

In other results, Miami-Dade elected its first sheriff in nearly 60 years after Republican Rosie Cordero-Stutz defeated Democratic candidate James Reyes. Cava also congratulated House Speaker Danny "Daniel" Perez, R-Miami, after Perez became Florida Speaker of the House.

The City of Miami also has a current Republican mayor in Francis Suarez.

Along with Cava, other Miami-Dade County Democratic candidates to win on election night included Kevin Chambliss, D-Homestead, in House District 117, and Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood, in Senate District 37, which includes Broward County.

Born in New York, Cava earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Yale University, graduate degrees in law and social work from Columbia University, and a law degree from the University of Miami.

Cava was sworn in as mayor for her second four-year term on Nov. 20. Her current term ends on Nov. 21, 2028.