Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded during a news conference in Fort Lauderdale after Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Valerie Manno Schurr ruled in favor of mayoral candidate Emilio T. Gonzalez in his lawsuit against the City of Miami after it tried to move the 2025 mayoral election and two commissioner races back to November 2026. Judge Schurr called Miami's attempt "unlawful" and "unconstitutional" in her ruling.
"They cooked up this scheme with three of the five commissioners that they would just cancel the election scheduled for this November, extend their own terms in office, which the voters had never approved," DeSantis said. "And so yesterday, there was a court ruling to say that, no, you can't cancel the election, you can't extend your terms in office unless you get the approval of the voters."
"And isn't that how it should be? Is there anyone that can make an argument with a straight face about why that would be something that would be acceptable to just thrust upon the voters without their consent? Of course not," DeSantis continued.
The controversial ordinance gained steam after City Commissioners voted 3-2 in June in favor of moving the election. Commissioners Christine King, Ralph Rosado, and Damian Pardo voted in favor, while Joe Carollo and Miguel Gabela voted against at the time.
The unprecedented move, associated by some with a "banana republic 2.0," even forced DeSantis to contemplate suspending the favored commissioners for their disobedience. Ironically, the governor dismissed the idea of Miami essentially writing its own election rules in a comment to The Floridian back in May.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also warned City Commissioners not to mess with the election date, or face possible repercussions.
One person happy in all of this was Emilio T. Gonzalez, who's running to replace Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
“This is a victory for every voter in Miami,” Gonzalez said following the decision. “The people have the right to choose their leaders — not politicians behind closed doors.”
