Gov. Ron DeSantis recently stated that he's keeping all options on the table, including possible suspensions, after Miami Commissioners voted 3-2 in June to cancel the city's 2025 mayoral election and move it to November 2026. Commissioners Christine King, Ralph Rosado, and Damian Pardo voted in favor, while Joe Carollo and Miguel Gabela voted against.
"The reality is local governments have to abide by Florida law," DeSantis said in a clip from CBS Miami. "Could it come to the point where commissioners can get suspended? The law does provide me that as one of many resources."
The governor's remarks come after he seemingly dismissed the idea of Miami unlawfully rewriting its election process just two months ago.
“I’m highly skeptical of that plan,” DeSantis said at the time, questioning the motives behind the proposed change.
The controversial measure, which some equate to a "banana republic," effectively grants Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and City Commissioners an extra year in office without voter approval. It also leaves 10
mayoral candidates and eight total candidates in two commissioner races in a state of limbo.
In the lead-up to the vote, proponents argued the move would coincide with federal races and boost voter turnout. Critics said it would undermine the will of Miami voters.
Following the decision, Attorneys for one of those mayoral candidates, Emilio T. Gonzalez, filed a
lawsuit with the Circuit Court of the Eleventh Judicial District Circuit after the unprecedented move.
"In passing Ordinance 17723, the City of Miami Commissioners unconstitutionally bypassed the democratic will of the people in a way that the Florida Constitution, the Miami-Dade Charter, and the City's Charter expressly prohibit," Lead Counsel Alan Lawson of Lawson, Huck, and Gonzalez PLCC said on behalf of Gonzalez.
For months, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and DeSantis also repeatedly warned Suarez and City Commissioners not to cancel the election without first getting voter approval.
"Home to thousands of patriotic Cuban Americans who know better than most about regimes that cavalierly delay elections and prolong their terms in power, the City of Miami owes to its citizens what the law requires," Uthmeier
said.
